We stand with Haitian journalists! : Peoples Dispatch

This year alone, eight journalists have been killed by police and paramilitaries in Haiti, according to data from the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA). This increase in violence against press professionals at a time of mass uprising has been widely condemned by civil society and human rights organizations in the country and internationally.

The Online Media Collective (CMEL) in Haiti has demanded that the Haitian government take urgent measures to protect the lives of journalists and communicators, as well as launch serious investigations into the assassinations and attacks against dozens of their colleagues. They also organized a march and vigil on Sunday November 13 to raise awareness to their demands.

Over 160 journalists and media outlets from across the world, including Atilio Borón, Vijay Prashad, Hermela Aregawi, Rania Khalek, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, Eugene Puryear, and Carlos Aznarez signed a letter to express solidarity with their Haitian colleagues and demand justice.

See below the letter and the signatories:

We, a group of journalists and progressive news publications from around the world, condemn the assassinations and attacks against Haitian journalists.

Over the past four years, the Haitian people have been on the streets in almost permanent mobilization to demand dignified conditions for life, an end to violence, and an end to foreign interference in the country’s politics.

These courageous mobilizations for national sovereignty and democracy as well as the solutions out of the crisis proposed by the Haitian people have been ignored by mainstream international media. From neighboring countries, they focus on decrying the disorder, violence, and lawlessness in the country, all while refusing to question the US-backed de facto government that represses, kills, and silences all opposition and gives a free hand to the ever-growing armed gangs.

Haitian journalists have been on the streets facing tear gas, live bullets, and violence in order to tell these crucial stories of struggle and resistance for their people and the world. Their heroic work has come at a cost. According to the Inter American Press Association (IAPA), in the past year alone, eight journalists have been killed in Haiti by police and paramilitaries while dozens more have been attacked, threatened, criminalized, and intimidated.

On November 5, 2022 Fritz Dorilas, the co-host of a program on Radio Megastar “Le droit, la loi et la justice”, was killed near his home in the Tabarre neighborhood, northeast of Port-au-Prince. Romelo Vilsaint of Radio Télé Zenith, was killed on October 30; Tess Garry of Radio Lebon FM, was killed on October 24; Frantzsen Charles of FS NEWS and Tayson Lartigue of Tijèn Jounalis, were killed on September 11; Maxihen Lazarre of Rois des Infos, was killed on February 23; Wilguens Louissaint, a contributor to various digital media, and Amady John Wesley of radio station Écoute FM, were killed on January 6, 2022.

We stand with the people of Haiti who continue to demand sovereignty, self-determination, and people’s democracy and the brave journalists who put their lives on the line to tell their stories.

Signatories:

Journalists:

Agustín lecchi, Tv publica – SIPREBA – FATPREN, Argentina
Alida Millán Ferrer, Claridad, Puerto Rico
Alberto López Girondo, Argentina
Alexander Medina, Radio Fe y Alegría Venezuela, Venezuela
Alexis González, Chile
Alfredo Ruiz, Agencia Colombia Informa, Colombia
Alina Duarte, Mexico
Ama Pratt, Pan African Television, Ghana
Amalia Molinari, Argentina
Ana Esther Ceceña, ALAI, Mexico
Ana Maria Araujo, UdelaR, Uruguay
Ana María Olivares Rivas, Consejo Metropolitano del Colegio de Periodistas de Chile, Chile
Andrés Figueroa Cornejo, Kaos en la Red / Liberacion.cl / En la Pirqa, Chile
Andrés Salazar, Freelance, Venezuela
Angélica Mendoza, Servicio Paz y Justicia – SERPAJ, Argentina
Anthony, United States
Atilio A Boron, Página/12, Argentina
Beatriz Figueroa, Argentina
Benjamín Torres Gotay, El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico
Carla Maglio, Argentina
Carlos Aznárez, Resumen Latinoamericano, Argentina
Carlos Jesús Caldas Pozo, Peru
Carlos Rodrigues Brandao, Brasil
Carlos Valle, Confed. Jub. Argentina, Argentina
Carolina Graterol, La Tabla, United Kingdom
Charles Rodriguez, United States
Cinthia, La Bulla Comunicación Alternativa, Argentina
Ciro Brescia, Alba Informazione, Italia
Cristina Ostolaza, Argentina
Dayana López Villalobos, Argentina
Elina Malamud, Argentina
Elizabeth Alves Pérez, Venezuela
Elsa Bruzzone, CEMIDA, Argentina
Elsa Gil, Argentina
Elsa Sandro, Uruguay
Eugene Puryear, Breakthrough News, United States
Federico Amigo, Tiempo Argentino, Argentina
Gladys Jarazo, Argentina
Gloribel Delgado Esquilín, Puerto Rico
Gonzalo Armua, ARG Medios/ALAI, Argentina
Guido González, Venezuela
Hector Vicente, Cx36 Radio Centenario Semanario La Juventud, Uruguay
Hermela Aregawi, EOANews.com, United States
Igor Carvalho, Brasil de Fato, Brasil
Iñaki Alrui, Lo Que Somos, España
Iracara Chirinos, Venezuela
Irina Santesteban, Diario La Arena – Santa Rosa, Argentina
Ivan Bellot, Nativa, Bolivia
Jackson Jean, Telesur, Haití
Jennifer, Se Prendió, Argentina
Johanna Harman, United States
John Duda, The Real News Network, United States
Jorge Capelán, Nicaragua
Jose Chavez, Reporteros Perú, Perú
José Cuevas, www.jabeando.com, Venezuela
José Luis Blanco, Argentina
José Sayago, Argentina
Julián Pilatti, ARGmedios, Argentina
Julio Avella Garcia, Switzerland
Julio Cesar Freixo Lobo, ABI, Brasil
Kate Knowles, United Kingdom
Kenia Useche, Canal Z TV Comunitaria, Venezuela
Kwesi Pratt Jnr, The Insight Newspaper, Ghana
Lallana Néstor, Argentina
Laura Candelas, Puerto Rico
Laura Lucero, VTV, Venezuela
Leila, Radio Gráfica, Argentina
Leonardo Herrmann, Federación Internacional De Escritoras Y Escritores Por La Libertad, Argentina
Lilliam Irizarry Echevarria, Puerto Rico
Lúcia Skromov, Brasil
Luciana, Barricada TV, Argentina
Luis Enrique Gavazut, Venezuela
Luis Lafferriere, Univ. Nac. de EntreRíos, Argentina
Luis Moreno, Periódico El Mundo De Lomas De Zamora, Argentina
Luis Nicolás González, Radio Caput, Argentina
Lusbi Portillo, Venezuela
Luz León, Argentina
Malvina Margarita Mendez, Argentina
Manuel Isidro Molina, La Verdad por Delante, Venezuela
Manuel Justo Gaggero, Ex Director del Diario “El Mundo”, Argentina
Manuel Ortiz Escámez, Península 360 Press, United States
Marcelo Fabián Ibarra, Barricada TV, Argentina
Marcelo Firpo Argentina, Suteba
Marco Teruggi, Argentina
María Eugenia Escalante, Venezuela
Maria Landi, Blog, Uruguay
María Teresa Figueroa, Argentina
María Torrellas, Resumen Latinoamericano, Argentina
Mariadela Villanueva, Correo del Orinoco, Venezuela
Mario Santucho, Revista Crisis, Argentina
Martin Varese, Peoples Dispatch, Nicaragua
Mercedes Romero, Uruguay
Miguel Solano, Prensaygente.com, United States
Miriam Palacios-Callender, Juntos x Cuba, United Kingdom
Midhun Puthupattu, Peoples Dispatch, India
Miguel Mora, Contexto y Acción, España
Modaira Rubio Marcano, Venezuela
Modesto Emilio Guerrero, Adn.info, Argentina
Nicolás Centurión, Periferia, Uruguay
Nina de Almeida Fideles, Brasil de Fato, Brasil
Nish Pfister, United Kingdom
Nora Moyano, Argentina
Norberto Ganci, El Club De La Pluma, Argentina
Orlando Villalobos Finol, Pasión por el Discurso, Venezuela
Oscar Alcibiades, Argentina
Pablo A. de la Vega M., SPS, Ecuador
Pablo Navarrete, Alborada, UK/Chile
Pantaleon Riquelme, Argentina
Paula Karina Klachko, REDH, Argentina
Paulina Acevedo, Presidenta Asociación Gremial Nacional de Medios Independientes y Comunitarios de Chile, Chile
Pedro César Batista, Jornal Labareda, Brasil
Pedro César Batista, Labareda, Brasil
Pedro Estacio, Venezuela
Pedro Mallorca, Correo, Argentina
Penélope Moro, Radio Nacional, Argentina
Rania Khalek, Breakthrough News, United States
Raul Vargas, Bolivia
Reina Lara Lilo, Venezuela
Ricardo Balderas, Méxicoleaks, México
Roberto Martín Ramirez, Argentina
Rolando Alberto Andrade Stracuzzi, Clarín, Argentina
Romina R Silva, FM Reencuentro 102.9, Argentina
Ruben Cesar Suarez Ciria, Red Contacto Sur, Uruguay
Rubén Sacchi, Revista Lilith, Argentina
Sandra Chagas, Radio Caput, Argentina
Sergio Ortiz, Liberación, Argentina
Silvia Beatriz Della Maddalena, Argentina
Silvia De Pierro, Red de Memoria India en la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Step, Kaos en la Red, France
Susana Moreira, Argentina
Tanupriya Singh, Peoples Dispatch, India
Tanya, Peoples Dispatch, India
Teresa Acuna, England
Thais, Brazil
Tinya Anasa, Argentina
Tixa Cámera, Radio, Argentina
Úrsula Asta, Radio Gráfica, Argentina
Veronica Mora, Argentina
Vijay Prashad, India
Virginia King, Argentina
Vivian Neves Fernandes, Asamblea Internacional de los Pueblos, Brasil
Zoe Alexandra, Peoples Dispatch, United States