Three Journalists Murdered in One Day in Colombia, Haiti and Mexico

The killing of three journalists, in Colombia, Mexico and Haiti, in a space of 24 hours has caused outrage within the region’s media community.

On June 10, Rospide Pétion, an anchor at a privately-held radio station in Haiti, was shot dead while driving home in capital Port-au-Prince. On the same day, a radio presenter in Colombia was assassinated by two men riding a motorcycle, while Norma Sarabia, a reporter with a daily newspaper in the Mexican state of Tabasco, was killed.

Sarabia’s death brings the total number of journalists killed this year in Mexico to six, according to the BBC.

Many media associations, including Reporters Without Borders and The Committee to Protect Journalists, have urged respective governments for swift and comprehensive investigation.

In Haiti, journalists reporting on the corruption case involving the country’s President Jovenel Moise are reportedly fearing reprisal attacks. Hours before he died, Rospide had finished a radio program focusing on corruption allegations against the president, according to AP.

Several journalists covering public protests in Haiti have been beaten by security forces, with one freelance photographer reportedly missing.

Murdered Colombian journalist José Libardo Montenegro had presented many programmes on the municipality of Samaniego.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) in Colombia has condemned the attack, saying that killing a journalist is akin to attacking freedom of speech and democracy.