Journalist shot to death in Haiti amid escalating attacks
The Associated Press | Posted: June 12, 2019 12:26 AM | Last Updated: June 12, 2019
Several journalists targeted during protests calling for president's resignation
The slaying of a radio reporter in Haiti has prompted media organizations to renew demands that police protect them and give them space to work, as attacks on journalists in the country escalate.
An unidentified gunman shot journalist Rospide Petion as he drove home late Monday in a car owned by Radio Sans Fin. The 45-year-old reporter had just finished a radio program in which he talked about corruption allegations against the administration of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse.
"These days are not good for journalists and media," Frantz Duval, editor of the newspaper Le Nouvelliste, tweeted Tuesday.
Moïse issued a statement Tuesday, calling the killing a "heinous act" that weighed heavily on Haiti's press. "I vehemently condemn this villainous crime," said the president, who also criticized other attacks on local media organizations.
Petion was married and had three children.
Journalists hit with rubber bullets, rocks
The shooting came amid days of sometimes violent street protests calling for the resignation of Moïse, during which several journalists have been attacked. Some protesters accuse some media outlets of being pro-government.
On Sunday, a photographer with Le Nouvelliste was injured by a rubber bullet, and protesters tried to attack a videographer with Radio Television Nationale d'Haiti. On Monday, reporters with Radio Tele Ginen were targeted with rocks as protesters vandalized their cars.
Haitian media organizations called on people to stop attacking reporters.
"The press is for everyone. To inform everyone. In all kinds of situations," they said in a statement, adding that everyone is free to follow whatever media they choose.
Reporters Without Borders issued a statement, saying Haitian authorities must investigate Petion's killing and bring those responsible to justice.
"It is also the government's job to guarantee the safety of journalists covering the protests," the organization said. "They have a key role to play in the current turmoil."
The organization noted that freelance photographer Vladjimir Legagneur has been missing since March, when he disappeared while on assignment.