A deadly gang attack in Haiti earlier this week that killed two journalists and wounded seven more underscores the dangers facing journalists in a nation that has been plagued by gang violence for years.
At least two journalists — including one who worked with Voice of America — were killed and at least seven other journalists wounded when armed men fired on reporters gathered for the reopening of Haiti’s largest public hospital in the capital, Port-au-Prince, earlier this week, according to media reports and the Haitian government.
The Committee to Protect Journalists, or CPJ, said it was “appalled” by the attack.
“We send deepest condolences to the families of those killed and call on Haitian authorities to swiftly bring these killers to justice,” a CPJ spokesperson said in a statement this week.
Among those killed in the Christmas Eve attack was Marckendy Natoux, who did marketing for VOA’s Creole Service.
Natoux worked for VOA’s umbrella organization, the U.S. Agency for Global Media, but also reported for various local outlets, including Heritage Express News and Boston Caribbean Network.
Natoux began working for USAGM in 2022 and was dedicated to publicizing VOA Creole’s work, according to the journalist’s USAGM colleague, Iscar Blanco.
“He always offered a smile to everyone and a helping hand to anyone who needed it,” Blanco told VOA.
Natoux is remembered as someone who was always eager to help his colleagues and community members. Blanco recalled how Natoux was always quick to help whenever journalists needed a microphone, a cable or anything else. And on the weekend, Natoux often volunteered to help the local community, according to Blanco.
“I am sure that he will always be remembered for his dedication to his work, but beyond work, for his love as a father, husband and friend,” Blanco added.
Natoux is survived by his wife and two children.
Jimmy Jean, a reporter with the online TV outlet Moun Afe Bon, was also killed in the Tuesday morning attack, which underscores the severe threats facing journalists working in the Caribbean nation.
Seven other journalists covering the event were wounded. One police officer was killed, and another police officer was wounded in the shooting at State University of Haiti Hospital, which is known locally as the General Hospital.
A local gang leader named Johnson “Izo” Andre of the Viv Ansanm, or Living Together, gang coalition posted a video on social media claiming responsibility for the attack.
Members of the Viv Ansanm coalition of street gangs, which have taken control of much of the Haitian capital, surrounded the hospital and opened fire through a metal gate. The gangs later said they were angry that the government had announced the hospital’s reopening without their permission.
The Haitian Association of Journalists said the attack was “a macabre scene comparable to terrorism, pure and simple.” The association also called for “authorities to act prudently in their rush to make decisions, to avoid exposing to danger the journalists and others who accompany them at their events.”
In a statement posted on social media, the prime minister’s office said, “This heinous act, which targets an institution dedicated to health and life, constitutes an unacceptable assault on the very foundations of our society.”
In a video statement, Leslie Voltaire, president of Haiti’s transitional presidential council, said that the shooting was “unacceptable,” adding, “This act will not remain without consequences.”
“I send my sympathies to the people who were victims, the national police and the journalists,” Voltaire also said.
Haiti has been rocked by severe gang violence and political instability since President Jovenel Moise was assassinated in his home in 2021 by a group of foreign mercenaries in a plot that authorities say involved elite Haitian police officers.
More than 5,300 people have been killed in gang-related violence in Haiti in 2024, according to the United Nations. And more than 2,100 people have been injured in gang-related violence.
Also in 2024, CPJ ranked Haiti worst in the world in terms of impunity in journalist killings. The press freedom group has documented seven targeted journalist killings in the Caribbean nation over the past decade. To date, none of those killings have been solved.
“With increased violence, the dangers to journalists rise,” CPJ’s CEO, Jodie Ginsberg, told VOA in October. “Haiti being at the top of this year’s impunity index is really a reflection of that increased violence.”
Haiti ranks 93 out of 180 countries on the Global Press Freedom Index, where 1 shows the best media freedom environment.
Some information in this report came from The Associated Press.
