A climate of lawlessness, selective administrative pressure, and chronic impunity prevailed during this period. While no journalist killings were recorded this year, the period unfolded under the shadow of at least 13 journalists’ killings between 2022 and 2024, the temporary shutdown of independent political programming, and the forced displacement of newsrooms in areas dominated by armed groups.
The security crisis forced some journalists to move with armed protection or in armored vehicles, and several outlets to evacuate their headquarters as gangs consolidated control over large swaths of the capital. Many journalists across the country live in fear of being harassed, attacked, or even killed.
In many cases, the threat level is so pervasive that local journalists are forced into the humiliating necessity of carrying firearms or traveling in armored vehicles, often provided by their employers. Many journalists, facing imminent threats to their lives, have been driven into refugee camps in neighboring communities. At the same time, the government has utterly failed to guarantee security in entire districts of the capital that political and police authorities have abandoned.
Staff from entire newsrooms of different outlets have been suddenly compelled to abandon their posts, with facilities sacked and equipment vandalized in their absence. In Mirebalais, in the Central Plateau, armed gangs became so emboldened that they seized a radio station and mockingly rebranded it “Taliban FM.”
This dangerous environment, worsened by an unprecedented socio-political and economic crisis, has been further compounded by government efforts to coerce independent media through the selective use of public funds. The most notable case is Radio Mega, one of the country’s most influential stations, which has been deliberately targeted and boycotted by the highest levels of political authority.
The threats against journalist Joseph Guyler C. Delva, Secretary General of SOS Journalistes and Vice President of the IAPA’s Press Freedom and Information Committee, exemplify the climate of intimidation. Delva, who has endured persistent harassment for his work and activism, suspended his professional activities in August, including his role as co-host of the influential Matin Caraïbes program. In September, he was forced to leave the country due to death threats.
Digital smear campaigns and death threats intensified, access for certain reporters was selectively restricted, and state advertising continued to be used as leverage against critical outlets. Together, these dynamics deepened self-censorship and kept the press operating under permanent risk.
