Journalist - Haiti Observer Blog

We learned over the weekend that the popular journalist from Television National d'Haiti, (TNH) passed away. It was reported that Jefferson Michel Casseus died following a car accident in the region of Merger, Haiti.

The accident took place last Sunday. We are at this time collecting more information on the accident and will be providing these additional information momentarily.

As per news dated, August 31, 2015, two journalists Jefferson Michel Casseus (35) from the National Television of Haiti (TNH) and Jhonson Baptiste (25), a contributing editor of Daily Le Nouvelliste, both died in a violent head-on car collision on the previous evening (17:30 hrs) on National Road No: 2 in Merger (south of Port-au-Prince). Two more people have died in the same accident. Two journalists, along with one woman were travelling in a green Suzuki car--they all died. Baptiste died on the spot while Casseus was seriously injured; he was initially taken to the 'Doctors Without Borders Hospital' in Carrefour, but was later shifted to the Hospital of the 'State University of Haiti' (HUEH) where the doctors were on strike, he was left unattended for almost two hours and died. His final words were "I am choking". The other car to the accident was a Honda Accord, damaged to a lesser extent, was carrying back four people from the beach.

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Award-winning photojournalist, Thony Belizaire, passed away on July 21st, of complications from emphysema.

Thony Belizaire became a member of the Agence France-Presse (AFP) in 1987. He fearlessly documented political events in Haiti for 30 years, including the coups to oust President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, and the monstrous rules of the Duvaliers. The tectonic event of 2010's earthquake was Belizaire's last big assignment.

Praise for Belizaire's work came from all quarters, including Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe. Lamothe respectfully noted "Mr. Belizaire devoted . . . his life to covering . . . the life of the Haitian people." He added Belizaire left a deep impression on photographers and photojournalists in his native Haiti that will never fade.

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The Journalist Nancy Roc is calling it a quit. After close to 28 years, the Independent Journalist will have her last show of metropolis broadcasted Saturday, July 27 and August 3, 2013, at which time, Metropolis will cease to exist on Radio Metropole.

According to Nancy Roc, she is sorry to break her contract with Radio Metropole. Several issues of Metropolis were censored by Radio Metropole, an act she considers to be unconstitutional and illegal based on Article 28.1 of the Constitution of the Republic of Haiti.

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Haitian Raoul Peck, documentarian and feature-filmmaker, began life in Port-au-Prince in 1953. A few years later, François Duvalier's reign began, creating fear in Haitians and causing many to leave and reside elsewhere. Peck's family moved to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) where they lived for the next quarter-century. Peck studied in the DRC and the U.S., his interests drawing him to journalism and photography, but he earned his film degree in Berlin.

As documentarian, Raoul Peck produced and directed before entering feature filmmaking. He achieved early success with 1993's "The Man by the Shore", which became an official entry at Cannes that year. Then Peck received unprecedented global recognition for his film "Lumumba" in 2000. His subsequent film, "Lumumba--Death of a Prophet", grabbed Best Documentary award at Montréal in 2002. He has also received many awards for directing attention to human-rights abuses in his film work. Human Rights Watch bestowed two Lifetime Achievement Awards on him in 2001 and 2003.

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This is no longer a rumor. According to lematinhaiti.com, judge Yvickel Dabrezil who has been working on the case regarding the assassination of the CEO of Radio Haiti Inter, John Leopold Dominique and Jean Claude Louissaint has confirmed that to be a fact. The Lavalas Leader and former President of Haiti Jean-Bertrand Aristide has received an invitation to answer questions around the assassination on April 3rd, 2000 of John Leopold Dominique and Jean Claude Louissaint

President Jean-Bertrand Aristide will be present at the cabinet of instruction, Wednesday, April 24, for questioning in the case following the invitation that was delivered to his residence of Tabarre.

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Every century is graced by certain men who have helped to write the course of many countries, including their own. At the turn of the 20th Century, in 1904 to be exact, Haiti gave birth to just one of its contributions to that circle.

When Emile Saint-Lot first caught the fever to defend his country, he was all but a boy, witnessing first-hand the military invasion by the US, which occupied Haiti between 1915 and 1937. He would go on to study and practice journalism and to teach law, finally becoming a senator and civil court chief justice. His election as senator of the West on the 19th of June, 1946 came a year after his taking the role of Haiti's first United Nations Ambassador. He also served as a Security Council member, with the task of voting on whole nations' independence. He would cast this powerful vote for countries like Libya (about whose independence he presented an impassioned speech to the UN in 1957), Somalia and Israel.

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U.S. District Judge Ursula Ungaro, lifted the ban - a controversial decision - she imposed on Joseph, a Haitian-American journalist. Leo Joseph, who owns Haiti Observateur, was banned from writing on Laurent Lamothe and South Florida based businessman Patrice Baker. Joseph was prohibited by Ungaro from writing on political, personal and professional life of either man after Joseph was sued by Lamothe and Baker on account of publishing malicious and false reports about the role played by Lamothe in selling a telecommunications company.

Back tracking on the ruling, Judge Ursula Ungaro lifted the ban on Joseph in a mea culpa in three parts and thereby granted the First Amendment rights to Joseph. Scott Ponce, the attorney of Leo Joseph, said that this ruling is favorable to all. Scott said, 'T'he First Amendment says you can't have an order prohibiting you from speaking on a subject. It was an important ruling to get the prior restraint set aside.'

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A formal denial from the government was delivered by Ady Jean Gardy, Minister of Communication in Port-au-Prince that in the year 2005, Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly, a musician and others had kidnapped, tortured and then killed Jacques Roche, a poet and journalist.

Accusations Made By Francoise Annick Joseph
Francoise Annick Joseph, the Artibonite/Inite Senator made the accusations. He stated that he had just recalled the news that in Haiti everyone knows about this. He states that Michel Martelly was a personality involved in the case in which Jacques Roche; a journalist was killed after being handcuffed, kidnapped, tortured and shot dead on 10th July 2005 in Port-au-Prince.

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Since its inception in 1994, Radio Kiskeya has been a popular addition to the Haitian sound-scape. Founded by Sony Bastien, Marvel Dandin and Liliane Pierre-Paul, three of Haiti's most revered journalists, already well known from their Radio Haiti Inter days, Radio Kiskeya reaches its listeners through relay programmes by its partners Platinum 88.9 FM in Camp Perrin, Tet a Tet 202.9 FM in Saint-Marc and Sans Souci 106.9 FM in Cap-Haïtien.

The station offers myriad ways in which to listen to their broadcast. Keeping up with the stations most popular shows like Public Interest and Pale Poun Vanse is possible by phone in The Dominican Republic, France and the United States. Other locales may keep tuned in on the internet. Those in Haiti need only to tune in to 88.5 to be a part of the Kiskeya listenership.

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Renaissance businessman, Growth Group CEO Kesner Pharel is keen to endorse Haiti's positive strides to becoming a world tourism destination once more, following the earthquake on January 12, 2010. As part of a panel recently discussing the relisting of the nation on the destinations map of the world at a press conference, Pharel shared the spotlight with Haitian Minister of Tourism, Stephanie Balmir Villedrouin, and Pierre Chauvet, Tourist Association of Haiti (ATH) representative.

The panel discussed the country's inclusion on the WEF (World Economic Forum) list and put it into perspective as an indication of Haiti's resumption of forward momentum. They also enumerated the steps taken to achieve such progress and discussed those necessary for continued growth going forward. So far, the airport construction at Les Cayes and Cap-Haitien has played major roles in facilitating the growth, as well as other changes in standards and quality regulations in the sector. Travel packages with international airlines are underway and the building of hotel schools will make a solid investment in the hotel industry within the country.

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