(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a 26 July 2004 CPJ press release: CPJ RELEASES SPECIAL REPORT ON HAITI Pro-Aristide journalists now at risk New York, July 26, 2004 – Journalists in Haiti continue to work in a dangerous climate nearly five months after the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, but the risks have become particularly […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a 26 July 2004 CPJ press release:
CPJ RELEASES SPECIAL REPORT ON HAITI
Pro-Aristide journalists now at risk
New York, July 26, 2004 – Journalists in Haiti continue to work in a dangerous climate nearly five months after the ouster of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, but the risks have become particularly severe for those sympathetic to the former leader, according to a report released today by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
CPJ’s investigation, titled “Taking Sides,” also found the problem to be acute in Haiti’s rural northern and central regions, where former rebels have threatened, harassed, and illegally detained journalists. With little police presence in these areas, illegal armed groups and former members of the disbanded Haitian military are acting as de facto security forces.
CPJ found that at least three pro-Aristide journalists have been illegally detained, a media outlet shuttered, and another forced to suspend news broadcasts. A number of journalists have gone into hiding.
The report also examines press freedom in the context of Haiti’s historically polarized society, one in which journalists have long allied themselves with political factions. According to the report, “While the targets of attacks may have changed. . . Haitian journalists will never be able to pursue their work freely until all of them can work without the threat of violence.”
CPJ Americas Program Coordinator Carlos Lauría and exiled Haitian journalist Jean-Roland Chery co-wrote the report.
To read the full text click here:
http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2004/haiti_7_04/haiti_7_04.htm
CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information about press conditions in Haiti, visit http://www.cpj.org.
