Targeted for years by supporters of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's government, private radio stations in Haiti are cautiously returning to the airwaves following a rebellion that left more than 300 dead and forced the embattled leader to flee.
But fear of attacks against journalists who used to work for pro-government stations still lingers in the traumatized nation where the media and government have long been at odds.
"These journalists are hiding from ... anyone with a gun or a grievance," said Joanne Mariner, Americas director for New York-based Human Rights Watch.
During the monthlong revolt that led to Aristide's ouster on Feb. 29, more than a dozen journalists were either threatened or attacked, including a Spanish television reporter who was killed when shots broke out during a demonstration held to celebrate Aristide's departure.
The shooting was blamed on Aristide militants, but US Marines say they also returned fire.
Under Aristide's administration, at least two journalists were killed -- including well-known radio host Jean Dominique -- and several others considering to hold an anti-Aristide bias were attacked. Dozens went into hiding or left the country, fearing for their lives.
Some reported getting anonymous calls with the sounds of guns clicking on the other end. Others were in radio stations while attackers sprayed the buildings with gunfire.
"I'm still afraid of Aristide's supporters," said Romney Cajuste, a reporter for the private station Radio Metropole who was kidnapped by armed thugs claiming to be Aristide loyalists. "They've told us we'll collect our punishment at the cemetery."
Since Aristide's departure, many say they feel safer to do their jobs but some journalists who worked for pro-government stations still fear reprisals.
In northern Cap-Haitien, where rebels maintain a strong presence, two radio stations linked to Aristide's Lavalas Family party were torched by residents and shot up by rebels.
Throughout decades of turmoil, radio has been one of few reliable mediums in this impoverished nation of 8 million. More than 150 stations operate in Haiti, made all the more vital since a little more than half of Haitians can read, and few can afford televisions.
"Everything happens on the radio here. People call and complain to radio stations instead of going to the police," said Dadou Jean-Bart, owner of the private Radio Galaxy.
‘CHILD PORNOGRAPHY’: The doll on Shein’s Web site measure about 80cm in height, and it was holding a teddy bear in a photo published by a daily newspaper France’s anti-fraud unit on Saturday said it had reported Asian e-commerce giant Shein (希音) for selling what it described as “sex dolls with a childlike appearance.” The French Directorate General for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Control (DGCCRF) said in a statement that the “description and categorization” of the items on Shein’s Web site “make it difficult to doubt the child pornography nature of the content.” Shortly after the statement, Shein announced that the dolls in question had been withdrawn from its platform and that it had launched an internal inquiry. On its Web site, Le Parisien daily published a
China’s Shenzhou-20 crewed spacecraft has delayed its return mission to Earth after the vessel was possibly hit by tiny bits of space debris, the country’s human spaceflight agency said yesterday, an unusual situation that could disrupt the operation of the country’s space station Tiangong. An impact analysis and risk assessment are underway, the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said in a statement, without providing a new schedule for the return mission, which was originally set to land in northern China yesterday. The delay highlights the danger to space travel posed by increasing amounts of debris, such as discarded launch vehicles or vessel
RUBBER STAMP? The latest legislative session was the most productive in the number of bills passed, but critics attributed it to a lack of dissenting voices On their last day at work, Hong Kong’s lawmakers — the first batch chosen under Beijing’s mantra of “patriots administering Hong Kong” — posed for group pictures, celebrating a job well done after four years of opposition-free politics. However, despite their smiles, about one-third of the Legislative Council will not seek another term in next month’s election, with the self-described non-establishment figure Tik Chi-yuen (狄志遠) being among those bowing out. “It used to be that [the legislature] had the benefit of free expression... Now it is more uniform. There are multiple voices, but they are not diverse enough,” Tik said, comparing it
Prime ministers, presidents and royalty on Saturday descended on Cairo to attend the spectacle-laden inauguration of a sprawling new museum built near the pyramids to house one of the world’s richest collections of antiquities. The inauguration of the Grand Egyptian Museum, or GEM, marks the end of a two-decade construction effort hampered by the Arab Spring uprisings, the COVID-19 pandemic and wars in neighboring countries. “We’ve all dreamed of this project and whether it would really come true,” Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly told a news conference, calling the museum a “gift from Egypt to the whole world from a
RSS