Haitian Journalists' Families Plead for Information Amid Gang Turmoil

The families of two Haitian journalists who were reported kidnapped last week have made an urgent plea for information about their whereabouts. Junior Célestin of Radio Television Megastar and Osnel Espérance of Radio Uni FM were seized while working in downtown Port-au-Prince, an area dominated by the powerful gang coalition Viv Ansanm, designated by the United States as a foreign terrorist organization.

Espérance's wife, Rosemanie Erneste, voiced her despair, pleading for any news, alive or dead, and implored the government to intervene amid a wave of gang-induced turmoil that reportedly affects 90 percent of Haiti's capital. Jocelyn Perez, the executive director of Radio Uni FM, emphasized the non-combatant role of journalists in the conflict, requesting international assistance.

The incident sheds light on the perilous conditions for media personnel in Haiti, where nine journalists were killed in 2022. U.N. human rights expert William O'Neill highlighted the escalating risks journalists and rights defenders face, amid ongoing efforts by several groups to gather information on the abducted journalists.