Haiti: journalists demonstrate against police violence
Members of the Haitian police in Port-au-Prince, January 5, 2017 (image of Illustration).
HECTOR RETAMAL / AFP
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2 min
In Haiti, the security situation is deteriorating day by day.
The villainous kidnappings are daily, major traffic axes are regularly paralyzed by barricades without the reasons and authors of the blockages being always identified.
In this context, journalists deplore a worsening of their working conditions with an increase in police violence against them.
They were a little more than 200 to demonstrate in this direction Thursday in Port-au-Prince.
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With our correspondent in Port-au-Prince,
Amélie Baron
"
The police protect the G9 but beat the journalists
".
The G9 is the name given to itself by the federation of 9 gangs in the capital.
By chanting this song in particular, media professionals want to denounce the abuses they suffer from the police while the latter remain passive in front of the parades in broad daylight of criminals targeted by wanted notices.
Also by this mobilization, the reminder of a simple principle: without freedom of the press, there is no democracy.
"
The right to information is guaranteed by the Constitution and the exercise of our profession as well,"
explains Roberson Alphonse, of the daily
Le Nouvelliste.
The authorities, police, justice or executive, must remember this principle.
You can't just gas a journalist, shoot him after knowingly identifying him.
Journalists have a profession, they exercise it within the framework of the law and the Constitution, they deserve protection, they must not be attacked, it is as simple as that.
"
In one year Haiti has lost 21 places in the world ranking of press freedom.
The country is now ranked 83 out of 180 countries listed.
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Also to listen: Haitian journalists say stop to police violence
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