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:

1. Agustín lecchi, Tv publica – SIPREBA – FATPREN, Argentina
2. Alida Millán Ferrer, Claridad, Puerto Rico
3. Alberto López Girondo, Argentina
4. Alexander Medina, Radio Fe y Alegría Venezuela, Venezuela
5. Alexis González, Chile
6. Alfredo Ruiz, Agencia Colombia Informa, Colombia
7. Alina Duarte, Mexico
8. Ama Pratt, Pan African Television, Ghana
9. Amalia Molinari, Argentina
10. Ana Esther Ceceña, ALAI, Mexico
11. Ana Maria Araujo, UdelaR, Uruguay
12. Ana María Olivares Rivas, Consejo Metropolitano del Colegio de Periodistas de Chile, Chile
13. Andrés Figueroa Cornejo, Kaos en la Red / Liberacion.cl / En la Pirqa, Chile
14. Andrés Salazar, Freelance, Venezuela
15. Angélica Mendoza, Servicio Paz y Justicia – SERPAJ, Argentina
16. Anthony, United States
17. Atilio A Boron, Página/12, Argentina
18. Beatriz Figueroa, Argentina
19. Benjamín Torres Gotay, El Nuevo Día, Puerto Rico
20. Carla Maglio, Argentina
21. Carlos Aznárez, Resumen Latinoamericano, Argentina
22. Carlos Jesús Caldas Pozo, Peru
23. Carlos Valle, Confed. Jub. Argentina, Argentina
24. Carolina Graterol, La Tabla, United Kingdom
25. Cinthia, La Bulla Comunicación Alternativa, Argentina
26. Ciro Brescia, Alba Informazione, Italia
27. Cristina Ostolaza, Argentina
28. Dayana López Villalobos, Argentina
29. Elina Malamud, Argentina
30. Elizabeth Alves Pérez, Venezuela
31. Elsa Bruzzone, CEMIDA, Argentina
32. Elsa Gil, Argentina
33. Elsa Sandro, Uruguay
34. Eugene Puryear, Breakthrough News, United States
35. Federico Amigo, Tiempo Argentino, Argentina
36. Gladys Jarazo, Argentina
37. Gloribel Delgado Esquilín, Puerto Rico
38. Gonzalo Armua, ARG Medios/ALAI, Argentina
39. Guido González, Venezuela
40. Hector Vicente, Cx36 Radio Centenario Semanario La Juventud, Uruguay
41. Hermela Aregawi, EOANews.com, United States
42. Igor Carvalho, Brasil de Fato, Brasil
43. Iñaki Alrui, Lo Que Somos, España
44. Iracara Chirinos, Venezuela
45. Irina Santesteban, Diario La Arena – Santa Rosa, Argentina
46. Ivan Bellot, Nativa, Bolivia
47. Jackson Jean, Telesur, Haití
48. Jennifer, Se Prendió, Argentina
49. Johanna Harman, United States
50. John Duda, The Real News Network, United States
51. Jorge Capelán, Nicaragua
52. Jose Chavez, Reporteros Perú, Perú
53. José Cuevas, http://www.jabeando.com, Venezuela
54. José Luis Blanco, Argentina
55. Julián Pilatti, ARGmedios, Argentina
56. Julio Avella Garcia, Switzerland
57. Julio Cesar Freixo Lobo, ABI, Brasil
58. Kenia Useche, Canal Z TV Comunitaria, Venezuela
59. Kwesi Pratt Jnr, The Insight Newspaper, Ghana
60. Lallana Néstor, Argentina
61. Laura Candelas, Puerto Rico
62. Laura Lucero, VTV, Venezuela
63. Leila, Radio Gráfica, Argentina
64. Leonardo Herrmann, Federación Internacional De Escritoras Y Escritores Por La Libertad, Argentina
65. Lilliam Irizarry Echevarria, Puerto Rico
66. Lúcia Skromov, Brasil
67. Luciana, Barricada TV, Argentina
68. Luis Enrique Gavazut, Venezuela
69. Luis Lafferriere, Univ. Nac. de EntreRíos, Argentina
70. Luis Moreno, Periódico El Mundo De Lomas De Zamora, Argentina
71. Luis Nicolás González, Radio Caput, Argentina
72. Lusbi Portillo, Venezuela
73. Luz León, Argentina
74. Malvina Margarita Mendez, Argentina
75. Manuel Isidro Molina, La Verdad por Delante, Venezuela
76. Manuel Justo Gaggero, Ex Director del Diario “El Mundo”, Argentina
77. Manuel Ortiz Escámez, Península 360 Press, United States
78. Marcelo Fabián Ibarra, Barricada TV, Argentina
79. Marcelo Firpo Argentina, Suteba
80. Marco Teruggi, Argentina
81. María Eugenia Escalante, Venezuela
82. Maria Landi, Blog, Uruguay
83. María Teresa Figueroa, Argentina
84. María Torrellas, Resumen Latinoamericano, Argentina
85. Mariadela Villanueva, Venezuela
86. Mario Santucho, Revista Crisis, Argentina
87. Martin Varese, Peoples Dispatch, Nicaragua
88. Mercedes Romero, Uruguay
89. Miguel Solano, Prensaygente.com, United States
90. Miriam Palacios-Callender, Juntos x Cuba, United Kingdom
91. Midhun Puthupattu, Peoples Dispatch, India
92. Miguel Mora, Contexto y Acción, España
93. Modaira Rubio Marcano, Venezuela
94. Modesto Emilio Guerrero, Adn.info, Argentina
95. Nicolás Centurión, Periferia, Uruguay
96. Nina de Almeida Fideles, Brasil de Fato, Brasil
97. Nish Pfister, United Kingdom
98. Nora Moyano, Argentina
99. Norberto Ganci, El Club De La Pluma, Argentina
100. Orlando Villalobos Finol, Pasión por el Discurso, Venezuela
101. Oscar Alcibiades, Argentina
102. Pablo A. de la Vega M., SPS, Ecuador
103. Pantaleon Riquelme, Argentina
104. Paulina Acevedo, Presidenta Asociación Gremial Nacional de Medios Independientes y Comunitarios de Chile, Chile
105. Pedro César Batista, Jornal Labareda, Brasil
106. Pedro César Batista, Labareda, Brasil
107. Pedro Estacio, Venezuela
108. Pedro Mallorca, Correo, Argentina
109. Penélope Moro, Radio Nacional, Argentina
110. Rania Khalek, Breakthrough News, United States
111. Raul Vargas, Bolivia
112. Reina Lara Lilo, Venezuela
113. Ricardo Balderas, Méxicoleaks, México
114. Roberto Martín Ramirez, Argentina
115. Rolando Alberto Andrade Stracuzzi, Clarín, Argentina
116. Romina R Silva, FM Reencuentro 102.9, Argentina
117. Ruben Cesar Suarez Ciria, Red Contacto Sur, Uruguay
118. Rubén Sacchi, Revista Lilith, Argentina
119. Sandra Chagas, Radio Caput, Argentina
120. Sergio Ortiz, Liberación, Argentina
121. Silvia Beatriz Della Maddalena, Argentina
122. Step, Kaos en la Red, France
123. Susana Moreira, Argentina
124. Tanupriya Singh, Peoples Dispatch, India
125. Tanya, Peoples Dispatch, India
126. Teresa Acuna, England
127. Thais, Brazil
128. Tinya Anasa, Argentina
129. Tixa Cámera, Radio, Argentina
130. Úrsula Asta, Radio Gráfica, Argentina
131. Veronica Mora, Argentina
132. Vijay Prashad, India
133. Virginia King, Argentina
134. Vivian Neves Fernandes, Asamblea Internacional de los Pueblos, Brasil
135. Zoe Alexandra, Peoples Dispatch, United States

Media outlets:

1. Agencia Colombia Informa, Colombia
2. ARG Medios, Argentina
3. Adn Info, Argentina
4. Barricada TV, Argentina
5. Brasil de Fato, Brasil
6. Breakthrough News, United States
7. Canal Z TV Comunitaria, Venezuela
8. Claridad – Periódico de la Nación, Puerto Rico
9. Contexto y Acción, España
10. Coordinador Nacional Agrario CNA, Colombia
11. El Club de la Pluma, Argentina
12. Federación Internacional De Escritoras Y Escritores Por La Libertad
13. Labareda, Brasil
14. Liberación, Argentina
15. Lo Que Somos, España
16. Nativa, Bolivia
17. Oxidarse o Resistir (Radio Fm), Argentina
18. Pan African Television, Ghana
19. Peoples Dispatch, International
20. Periferia, Uruguay
21. Perualliance APC, México
22. PT REVOLUTION TV, Portugal
23. Radio Fe y Alegría, Venezuela
24. Radio Lora, Argentina
25. Radio Temblor Internacional, Panamá
26. Raices Radio, Argentina
27. Revista Crisis, Argentina
28. Radio Lora, Argentina
29. TatuyTv, Venezuela
30. The Insight Newspaper, Ghana
31. The Real News Network, United States
32. Tiempo Argentino, Argentina
33. Venezuela Analysis, Venezuela