28 July 2004
PRO-ARISTIDE JOURNALISTS UNDER THREAT: CPJ REPORT
Five months after the collapse of Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide's government, journalists continue to work under dangerous conditions, especially those sympathetic to the former leader, says a new report by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
"Taking Sides" examines the state of press freedom in the Caribbean country and finds that the threat of violence still hangs over journalists' heads, particularly in rural areas outside the capital, Port-au-Prince. Whereas privately owned media were often the targets of attacks for criticising Aristide while he was in power, journalists who supported him are now the targets, says CPJ.
Illegal armed groups and ex-members of the Haitian military have taken over the rural northern and central regions where policing is weak and are acting as self-proclaimed security forces. CPJ has documented three incidents in the past four months in which these forces have illegally detained journalists working for pro-Aristide radio stations. At least one broadcaster has shut down while another stopped reporting the news for a month because of threats.
CPJ says the attacks on pro-Aristide journalists are a symptom of Haiti's polarised media environment, where media outlets have traditionally aligned themselves with opposing political positions. During Aristide's rule, both pro- and anti-government media showed biased reporting.
Read the full report here: http://www.cpj.org/Briefings/2004/haiti_7_04/haiti_7_04.html
Visit these links:
- Human Rights Watch Reports on Haiti:
http://www.hrw.org/doc?t=americas&c=haiti
- Reporters sans frontierès:
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=10891
- Organization of American States: http://www.oas.org/OASpage/Haiti_situation
- Amnesty International:
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/hti-index-eng
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