Brignol Lindor

By Shazdeh Omari/CPJ Deputy Editor

When Mick Deane was killed in Egypt on Wednesday, he became the 1,000th journalist documented by CPJ as having died in direct relation to his work. The photos above, a sampling of those who have died over the past 21 years, serve as a powerful reminder of the cost of critical, independent journalism.

Press conditions improved slightly during a year of relative political stability. A decline in gang violence in the capital, Port-au-Prince, allowed reporters to make a cautious return to the city's streets. And, with the strong support of President René Préval, an independent committee was created in August to monitor stalled investigations into a series of journalist murders this decade.

January 2008
News from the Committee to Protect Journalists

New York, December 14, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes Wednesday’s conviction of two men for the December 2001 murder of Haitian journalist Brignol Lindor.

The court in the western city of Petit-Goâve sentenced to life in prison Jean Rémy Démosthène and Joubert Saint Juste, members of the local political organization “Domi Nan Bwa,” which had ties to former president Jean Bertrand Aristide’s Famni Lavalas party, according to reports in the Haitian press.

Préval pledges justice in murders of Haitian journalists

New York, September 27, 2007—Haitian President René Préval has pledged support for an independent committee evaluating stalled investigations into a series of unsolved journalist murders this decade and said that all political obstacles to justice have now been removed.   

Under Haiti's new transitional government, journalists-especially those who supported former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide-remain at risk in a politically polarized environment.

By Carlos Lauria and Jean-Roland Chery

Nearly five months after the ouster of President Jean Bertrand Aristide, journalists in Haiti still confront great dangers in a country marked by lawlessness. Before the unrest began in September 2003, journalists working for private radio stations were often targeted for their anti-Aristide coverage. But the nature of the threat has shifted, with journalists who supported Aristide now at particular risk, an investigation by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has found.

Nearly a decade after the United States restored Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide to power in an attempt to encourage democracy there, Haitian journalists continued to face routine threats, harassment, and physical violence, while perpetrators of these attacks were rarely punished.

Port-au-Prince, August 15, 2003—Top officials of the government of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide have agreed to report to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on the status of judicial investigations into press freedom abuses documented by CPJ.

The agreement came during a five-day visit to Haiti by members of a CPJ delegation, who met with journalists from state and private media, as well as with government officials, to discuss press freedom concerns in Haiti.

Porto Príncipe, 15 de agosto de 2003 - Oficiais do alto escalão do governo do Presidente Jean-Bertrand Aristide concordaram em informar ao Comitê de Proteção aos Jornalistas (CPJ) sobre o andamento das investigações judiciais sobre abusos cometidos contra a liberdade de imprensa documentados pelo CPJ.

A decisão foi obtida em um visita de cinco dias ao Haiti de membros de uma delegação do CPJ, que se encontraram com jornalistas da mídia do Estado e particular, bem como com oficiais do governo, para discutir as preocupações quanto à liberdade de imprensa no Haiti.

New York, January 3, 2002--A total of 37 journalists were killed worldwide as a direct result of their work in 2001, a sharp increase from 2000 when 24 were killed, according to CPJ research. At least 25 were murdered, almost all with impunity.

The dramatic rise is mainly due to the war in Afghanistan, where eight journalists were killed in the line of duty covering the US-led military campaign and a ninth journalist died of wounds sustained there two years ago. This was the highest death toll recorded for a single country since 1999, when 10 journalists were killed in Sierra Leone.