WHEREAS press freedom is facing a critical situation due to the expansion of armed gangs and deteriorating security, with journalists exposed to threats, kidnappings, disappearances, assaults, and killings, while numerous media outlets have shut down or abandoned their premises and many journalists have been forced into exile
WHEREAS, during this period, Joseph Willard Vancol, director of Ti Boukan FM, was kidnapped and his body was subsequently found, while Wesly Renaud Jean of Radio Télé Métropole was kidnapped and remains missing; the whereabouts of Junior Célestin and Osnel Espéranc, whose executions are presumed, have remained unknown since March; and photojournalists Odelyn Joseph, Clarens Siffroy, and Jonet St. Elois were assaulted while covering a funeral in Kenscoff
WHEREAS, despite the violence and humanitarian crisis that have displaced hundreds of thousands of people, the press remains essential to keeping the public informed; presidential and legislative elections are scheduled for December 13, 2026, amid uncertainty caused by insecurity
WHEREAS, the Declaration of Chapultepec states that “the unjust imprisonment of journalists, the destruction of facilities, violence of any kind and impunity for perpetrators,” severely restrict freedom of expression.
THE 82nd GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES
To strongly condemn the killings, kidnappings, disappearances, threats, and assaults targeting journalists in Haiti, and to express solidarity with the victims, their families, and the Haitian press
To demand that the authorities take urgent measures to protect journalists and media outlets, guarantee the free and independent practice of journalism, and ensure conditions that allow journalists to travel safely, access sources, and cover events of public interest
To urge the authorities to investigate and punish those responsible for attacks against journalists, combat impunity, and intensify efforts to locate missing journalists
To urge electoral and security authorities to guarantee free and safe journalistic coverage of the electoral process, and to reaffirm that press freedom and access to independent information are indispensable to Haiti’s institutional and democratic recovery.
