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SAN JUAN, Oct. 25 (AP) — A prominent Haitian journalist survived an assassination attempt in the Port-au-Prince capital on Tuesday after his car was riddled with bullets, officials said.
Roberson Alphonse, who works for daily newspaper Le Nouvelliste and radio station Magik9, is in hospital but is expected to recover, said Frantz Duval, editor-in-chief of both outlets. Alphonse has had two surgeries so far, he said.
No arrests have been made, although journalists in Haiti have long been targeted by warring gangs that have grown stronger since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
Duvall thanked an unidentified person who said he rescued Alphonse and used a tourniquet to stop the bleeding before medical assistance arrived.
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Duval noted that the car had more than 10 bullet holes, adding that neither Alphonse nor any of his colleagues could comment.
“Health is an absolute priority,” he wrote. “Thank you for your understanding.”
The Haitian Ministry of Culture and Communications said that when Alphonse went to work at the radio station, it “was appalled to learn about an assassination attempt near Delmas”.
“His rigor, impartial effort and his sense of perfection have made him a model for the industry,” the ministry said in a statement.
Many colleagues agree, including Widlore Mérancourt of the online news site AyiboPost.
“My friend, Roberson Alphonse can be anything he wants anywhere in the world. He chose Haiti. He could also (make) millions selling his platform. He chose integrity and independence. I love him and I wish him all the best,” he wrote.
Meanwhile, Haitian Senate President Joseph Lambert has called for a judicial inquiry.
The attack comes more than a month after two other journalists, identified as Tayson Latigue and Frantzsen Charles, were shot and their bodies set on fire while reporting in a gang-controlled slum.
In January, gang members killed two other journalists reporting from Laboule, a community south of Port-au-Prince.
The Miami-based Press Association of the Americas said this year was the most violent year for journalism since records began in 1987.
Journalists are also seeking justice for the March 2018 disappearance of freelance photographer Vladjimir Legagneur, who was last seen in the Grand Ravine area of Port-au-Prince, one of the poorest and most dangerous.
The attack on Alphonse comes just weeks after Haitian leaders called for the immediate deployment of foreign troops as the country faces an unprecedented crisis. More than a month ago, one of Haiti’s most powerful gangs surrounded a major fuel terminal, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Ariel Henri because they blocked the distribution of oil.
Gas stations have been closed, banks and grocery stores are open for limited hours, and as the country battles a cholera outbreak that has killed at least 40 people and has more than 1,750 suspected cases so far.
UNICEF warned on Monday that the actual number could be much higher due to underreporting. The agency noted that it could find only a third of the 70,000 gallons of fuel needed to serve more than half of Port-au-Prince’s 16 cholera treatment centers.
On Tuesday, the European Union said it was extremely concerned about the deteriorating situation in Haiti, adding that it had reached unsustainable levels.
“The EU regrets that, as the humanitarian catastrophe unfolds, protests have been absorbed by gangs, escalating into violence, looting and territorial grabbing by armed gangs, and political actors have so far failed to find a political solution to the crisis,” it said. talk. “The EU therefore urges all political actors … to engage in constructive negotiations to overcome the current political crisis and its security and humanitarian consequences.” (The Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from the Syndicated News feed, the body of the content may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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