Veteran journalist Wesly Renaud Jean, 46, was abducted by armed gang members around 8 p.m. in the Delmas 31 neighborhood of Port-au-Prince on the evening of September 6, according to eyewitnesses. Wesly Jean was freed by his kidnappers on September 27 after his family paid a ransom.
Renaud has co-hosted the major morning news program on Radio-TV Métropole for over 10 years, and a witness reported the abduction to his colleagues. It is unclear if his abduction is related to his work, though the perpetrators appeared to be aware of his identity, according to reports.
CPJ has confirmed that Renaud’s abductors are seeking a ransom and have provided proof of life via telephone with Jean, according to Radio-TV Metropole director Richard Widmaier, who is also president of The National Association of Haitian Media (ANMH).
Various cases of kidnapping have been recorded in the Delmas 31 area over the past two years. For example, two female students aged 12 and 10 were abducted on their way to school on September 9 in the Delmas area.
At least 50 people were kidnapped in one incident in late August in the farming community of Kenscoff near Haiti’s capital, adding to mounting concerns that security is not improving in the country despite the arrival of a UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF).
Experts say the gangs are flexing their muscles in a message to Haiti’s government and police as the country prepares to hold general elections on Dec. 13 for the first time in more than a decade. The armed gangs control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince and parts of Haiti’s central region, slightly down from a year ago.
Gang violence has displaced around 1.5 million people across Haiti, where more than 3,050 people were reported killed from January to June and another 1,400 injured, according to the latest UN statistics. At least 81 people also were reported kidnapped during those six months, according to the UN, with a 40% increase in the second quarter of the year.
In 2025, CPJ provided financial support to 17 Haitian journalists, facing incidents related to their work, in the form of grants to cover needs such as psychosocial support, medical and relocation costs. CPJ has also reported high impunity rates in the killing of journalists in Haiti due in part to a lack of stability and political will within the country, and advocated for justice in their murders.