Freedom of Expression

Haiti

25.              The situation of instability that Haiti suffered in early 2004, in the framework of a series of demonstrations and disputes between the opposition and pro-government groups, led to a climate of violence that had a negative impact on the work of journalists and the media. At that time there were grave incidents, such as the death of a journalist, attacks, assaults, and threats against social communicators, as well as the destruction of media facilities. These incidents led several media to suspend their operations or shut down entirely. The situation was the subject of a pronouncement by the Office of the Special Rapporteur in a press release of January 22, 2004.

26.              While in the last months of the year the situation was more stable, the Office of the Special Rapporteur is still concerned about the reports on the situation in some regions of the interior, with a major presence of irregular armed groups[1] said to be threatening the work of journalists.

27.              In its 2003 report on the Situation of Freedom of Expression in Haiti, the Office of the Special Rapporteur had recommended to the State that it should “[a]dopt the measures needed to bring about a complete, exhaustive, and independent inquiry into the assassinations of journalists Jean Léopold Dominique and Brignol Lindor, and particularly to protect the persons linked to these proceedings.” Nonetheless, the Office of the Special Rapporteur is concerned that the investigations went nowhere in 2004, and particularly that it was reported that many documents that have been introduced as evidence in the April 3, 2000 murder of journalist Jean Dominique have disappeared. 

PRINCIPLE 5 OF THE DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION (Prior censorship, interference, and direct or indirect pressure)

28.              After the departure of former president Jean Bertrand Aristide, acts were reported against those who were identified as favorable to the former president or critical of the rebels. This was the case of the correspondent of Tropic FM, Charles Edmón Prosper, who in May 2004 was arrested as he was accused of belonging to a group of journalists critical of the rebels.[2] In addition, on May 18, several police and a justice of the peace shut down the offices of Radio Ti Moun and Télé Ti Moun, which belonged to the Aristide Foundation for Democracy (founded by Jean Bertrand Aristide) and prevented its employees from entering the offices.[3] These two media had suspended their broadcasts on February 29, 2004, after Aristide’s departure from Haiti.[4]

PRINCIPLE 9 OF THE DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES ON FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION (Murder, kidnapping, intimidation of and/or threats to social communicators, as well as the material destruction of communications media)

 29.              As mentioned, the first months of the year saw a series of acts of violence and threats to journalists which even led to the suspension or shutdown of the media for which they worked. Several communications media, mainly broadcasters, were attacked and looted, and even set afire, in many cases leading to their suspension or definitive shutdown. The events of those months took the life, on March 7, 2004, of the journalist for the Spanish television network Antena 3, Ricardo Ortega, in Port-au-Prince, after he was shot while covering a protest.[5] In that same incident, the photographer for the U.S. daily Sun Sentinel, Michael Laughlin, was wounded.[6] The Office of the Special Rapporteur received information reporting the detention of two persons allegedly responsible for those incidents.[7]

 30.              During those weeks, also wounded were Roberto Andrade, of Televisa of Mexico, Carlos Loret, and cameramen Raúl Guzman and Jorge Pliego, of TV Azteca, also of Mexico, a photographer with Agence France Presse (AFP),[8] and Claude Bellevue, of Radio Ibo,[9] when they were covering a student demonstration in Port-au-Prince.

 31.              Among the attacks on and assassination attempts targeting social communicators, on February 21, 2004, attacks were reported against the director of Radio Hispagnola, in Trou du Nord, and the correspondent of the radio station Radio Métropole, Pierre Elisem, in Cap-Haïtien, after he denounced having received threats.[10] On February 24, 2004, journalist Michel Jean and cameraman Sylvain Ricard, of Radio Canada, were shot at in northern Port-au-Prince.[11] On February 25, 2004, journalist Jenny Favélus and cameraman Claude Cléus, of Télé HaitI, were threatened and attacked when they sought to reach the offices of that station. On March 12, Lyonel Lazarre, correspondent for Radio Solidarité and the Agence Haïtienne de Presse in Jacmel, in southern Haiti, was held and beaten, allegedly by former soldiers.[12] On March 13, 2004, the home of Elysée Sincère, correspondent for Radio Vision 2000 in Petit Goave, was shot at. One of her family members was wounded.[13]

 32.              The facilities of several communications media were also the target of attacks. On January 13, 2004, eight radio stations and one television network left the air due to the destruction, in Boutilliers, in upper Port-au-Prince, of the transmission equipment by a commando of armed men. The media knocked off the air were: Radio Comérciale, Radio Plus, Radio Kiskeya, Magic Stereo, Signal FM, Mélodie FM, Radio Ti Moun, ldoie FM, and Radio Galaxie. The television network Télé Ti Moun[14] also had to stop broadcasting. These persons[15] allegedly destroyed the equipment using mallets and hammers.

 33.              Among the radio stations hit by arson during January and February, some of them after being threatened or looted, were Radio Pyramide and Radio America,[16] Lumière de la jeunesse saint-marcoise (LJS) and Radio Delta[17] in the city of Saint Marc, north of Port-au-Prince; Radio Vision 2000[18] in Cap-Haïtien; Radio Hispagnola, in Trou du Nord,[19] and Radio Echo 2000,[20] in the city of Petit-Goave. Also looted and attacked were Radio Afrika and Radio Télé Kombit,[21] in Cap Haïtien; Radio Pasion in Léogane,[22] Radio Vision 2000, Radio Kiskeya,[23] Radio ibo, and Radio Signal FM[24] in Port-au-Prince; and the facilities of Téle Haití,[25] from which Radio France International (RFI)[26] also operated in Port-au-Prince.

 34.              The threats to journalists and media reached the point that some radio stations were forced to suspend their work. This was the case of Radio Métropole,[27] in Port-au-Prince; Sud FM,[28] in Cayes; and Radio Sans-Souci and Radio Cap Haitïen.[29] The Office of the Special Rapporteur also received information about threats to radio station Paradis FM and community radio station Claudy Museau, in Cayes,[30] Radio Caraïbes FM,[31] and Radio Solidarité.[32] In addition, Yves Marie Jasmin[33] of Radio Métropole was subject to intimidation.

 35.              Other incidents reported to the Office of the Special Rapporteur were the detention, on April 16, of the correspondent of Radio Solidarité in Mirebalais, allegedly by a group of former soldiers,[34] as well as the arrest, by Haiti’s transition government, on May 28, 2004, of the cameraman for Télé Ti Moun, Aryns Laguerre, though no charges were brought against him (the Government alleges that he had bullets on him).[35] On August 30, Lyonel Louis, a journalist with the weekly Haïti en Marche, was assaulted in Cité-Soleil, a marginal neighborhood of Port-au-Prince, allegedly by a group of sympathizers of former president Jean Bertrand Aristide.[36]

1889 F St. N.W. Washington, DC, U.S.A. 20006 / E-mail: cidhoea@oas.org / Phone: (202) 370-9000 / Fax: (202) 458-3650