texas-moody

Haiti

Families of 2 journalists kidnapped in gang-controlled area of Haiti plead for details

"The families of two Haitian journalists who were reported kidnapped last week pleaded Monday for information about them, with many fearing that gangs had killed them. Junior Célestin of Radio Television Megastar and Osnel Espérance of Radio Uni FM were reporting in downtown Port-au-Prince on Friday when they were taken, according to Radio Uni FM. […]

Two journalists kidnapped and media director’s home attacked within 24 hours in Haiti

Two Haitian journalists were abducted on Friday, March 13, in downtown Port-au-Prince by armed members of a gang. The victims, Osnel Espérance of Radio Uni FM and Junior Célestin of Radio Television Megastar, were kidnapped while reporting in the lower part of the capital, The Haitian Times reported. Their employers confirmed the double abduction, which […]

Haitian journalist wounded in 2024 appeals for help after surgery in Cuba

"Haitian journalist Jocelyn Justin is going through a particularly difficult time after undergoing surgery on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025, in Havana, Cuba. Shot more than a year earlier in Port-au-Prince, he underwent the procedure at the Cira García Central Clinic in the Cuban capital, thanks to delayed funding from the Haitian government estimated at $4,600. […]

Decree sets jail time and stiff fines for Haitian journalists, digital distributors

"A Transitional Presidential Council (CPT, for its French acronym) decree establishing jail time and fines for Haitian journalists and digital media distributors has set off alarm bells across the country and abroad. Advocates for an open press and freedom of expression warn the directive opens the door to expanded state control over speech — all […]

Journalists fight for government transparency amid Haiti’s insecurity

"Violent attacks and threats waged by a coalition of militarized gangs are among the many risks Haitian journalists face to report the news amid intensifying insecurity in the country’s capital city, Port-au-Prince. Yet as a rotating cast of transitional leaders hope to restore order across the Caribbean nation, journalists say a lack of transparency and hostility […]

Haitian gang leader calls for Radio TV Caraibes journalist’s assassination

"In a widely disseminated social media video reviewed by [the Committee to Protect Journalists] (CPJ), [Jimmy ‘Barbecue’] Cherizier — leader of the 'Viv Ansamn' gang coalition that has laid siege to Haiti’s capital city, Port-au-Prince — appeared to offer a $50,000 reward for [Radio TV Caraibes (RCTV) news host Ronald] Desormes’ life as he expressed […]

The IAPA condemns threats against Haitian journalist Joseph Guyler Delva

"The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) today strongly condemned threats against the personal safety of Haitian journalist and press freedom advocate Joseph Guyler C. Delva, who was forced to suspend his professional activities amid escalating intimidation. Delva, secretary general of SOS Journalistes Haiti and IAPA vice chair of the Committee on Freedom of the Press […]

Haiti press group calls on government to aid journalist awaiting surgery in Cuba

SOS Journalistes, a press freedom group in Haiti, said it is "scandalized" by authorities' inaction in the case of journalist Jocelyn Justin who is awaiting surgery in Cuba after he was seriously injured in a gang shooting while covering the re-opening of a hospital in Port-au-Prince on Dec. 24, 2024. In a press release, the […]

Haitian journalist injured in gang attack is stranded in Cuba without support

"SOS Journalistes strongly condemns the Haitian government's irresponsible decision to abandon a seriously injured journalist who is in Cuba receiving necessary medical care. The journalist is Jocelyn Justin, whose lower jaw was shattered by bullets fired by gangs during violent incidents on December 24, 2024, near the General Hospital. The attack left three people dead […]

Haitian gang takes over radio station, renames it Taliban FM

"The Committee to Protect Journalist is appalled that a Haitian gang has taken over a local radio station, renamed it Radio Taliban FM, and is using it to broadcast propaganda on the troubled Caribbean island. 'We are critically concerned that the chaos in Haiti makes it nearly impossible for anyone — journalists included — to safely go about their […]

The journalists risking their lives to cover Haiti’s violent crisis

“Day after day, journalists report on the violence crisis gripping Haiti, playing a dual role as both victims and witnesses on the ground. The Caribbean nation ranks as the country most likely to allow the murder of journalists to go unpunished, according to a 2024 report from the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). In March, […]

Haitian journalist association condemns abduction of two journalists by armed gangs

"The Association of Haitian Journalists (AJH for its initials in Creole) reported Sunday the disappearance of two journalists in the city of Mirebalais, amid a growing climate of violence by armed gangs operating with impunity in the country. The International Federation of Journalists categorically repudiates the criminal violence against press workers and calls for their […]