The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) described press freedom in Haiti as “critical” at its 82nd General Assembly, which ended on Sunday, October 25, in Bogotá, Colombia, HaitiLibre reported. It pointed to the spread of armed gangs and worsening security for journalists and media outlets.

In its report on Haiti, the association said journalism has become a high-risk profession, with threats, kidnappings, assaults and killings, and severe limits on travel and access to sources. Many outlets have closed and many journalists have gone into exile, it said, yet the press still plays a key role, including by warning people about dangerous areas.

The report cited a UN count of 14 media workers killed since 2021. It recalled the kidnapping and killing in August of Joseph Willard Vancol, a journalist and director of community radio Ti Boukan FM, and the September 6 kidnapping of Radio Télé Métropole journalist Wesly Renaud Jean, who is still missing. The fate of journalists Junior Célestin and Osnel Espérance, missing since March and presumed executed, remains unknown.

The association also noted that photojournalists Odelyn Joseph (AP) and Clarens Siffroy (AFP) and EFE contributor Jonet St. Elois were attacked on September 2 while covering funerals in Kenscoff, where 47 people had been killed in a gang massacre days earlier. It added that insecurity is weighing on the electoral process and that the elections will not be able to take place on December 13, although the electoral council has not set a new date.