Osnel Espérance from Radio Uni FM and Junior Célestine from Radio Télévision Megastar were abducted on 13 March while they were reporting in the centre of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is extremely worried for their lives as the country is exceptionally dangerous for news professionals.
It’s been four days of anguish since Osnel Espérance and Junior Célestin were taken by armed men. Their loved ones, colleagues and the leaders of their respective outlets have publicly pleaded for information on their fate and whereabouts as fears that they may have been killed continue to grow. This episode of targeting news professionals illustrates the extreme vulnerability of the Haitian press as criminal groups and armed violence continue to expand. The two journalists notably covered the country’s gang activity.
“RSF condemns the abduction of Osnel Espérance and Junior Célestin and is profoundly concerned about their fate and whereabouts. We demand that Haitian authorities act immediately to find their location, do everything in their power to make sure they are safe and sound, and protect their families and colleagues. Journalists in Haiti work in extremely dangerous conditions. In a country where armed gangs control a large part of the capital, the abduction of journalists while they’re in the middle of reporting aggravates fear and media silence. It is the international community’s responsibility to mobilise to protect these journalists and media outlets."
The night of 12 March, the night before the kidnappings, armed men attacked the home of the director-general of Radio Télé Kiskeya, Marvel Dandin, in Soisson, a suburb of Port-au-Prince, according to RSF information.
