AP reported the killing of journalists in Haiti in a gang attack
In Haiti, two reporters and a police officer were killed Dec. 24 in a gang attack during the reopening of Port-au-Prince's largest public hospital. Several other members of the press were injured. The Associated Press (AP) reported.
"This heinous act against an institution meant to protect health and life represents an unacceptable attack on the very foundations of our society," the country's government press office said.
The Haitian Journalists Association confirmed that two reporters and a police officer were killed and seven other reporters were wounded. Members of Haiti's journalists' union said the Viv Ansanm gang group was behind the crime.
Street gangs forced the general hospital in Port-au-Prince to close in early 2024. Authorities had promised to reopen the facility in the Haitian capital on Christmas Eve, but when journalists gathered to cover the event, alleged gang members opened fire on them.
Earlier, on March 28, it became known about the kidnapping of a journalist from the United States Edisson Pierre Maalouf in Haiti . For his release they demanded a ransom of $ 600 thousand. At the time of the attack, the man was on his way to an interview with the leader of local gangsters Jimmy Cherizier, nicknamed Barbecue.
Before that, on March 20, the U.S. State Department reported on the evacuation of Americans in Haiti with the help of chartered helicopters. At that time, about 1.6 thousand residents of America contacted the U.S. authorities, stating their desire to take advantage of the possibility of evacuation.
The situation in Haiti worsened after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise by unknown persons in 2021. He was shot dead in his own residence. During the investigation of the assassination, several local police officers, including those responsible for the president's security, were placed in jail. Following Moïse's death, a political crisis erupted in the State.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
