Journalists, death and anti-corruption in Haiti
This is the dark side of anti-corruption. France24 has brought a story which repeats itself all over the world. In this case, a Haitian journalist, Gary Tesse , was murdered in October 2022. He had come close to power and corruption, specifically accusing the Les Cayes prosecutor Ronald Richemond of illegal practices, “[o]n air, he relentlessly denounced abuses of power, bribes and human rights violations Richemond committed”. These accusations led to his murder as well as a new investigation into prosecutor Richemond. Much continues to be murky, since Haiti continues to be a insecure legal environment, yet, even there, additional charges against the prosecutor, for improper land grabs have been contemplated. Unfortunately, the newest investigative judge fears for his life and it seems that though they may be closing in on Mr. Richemond, it looks like justice is still moving slowly. All of this history reminds us that impunity still exists, and death is the ultimate intimidation.
What can be done in this case? I have written about the youth in Haiti, Anti-corruption clubs in Haiti, and though this is a long-term solution, it is one which needs to be encouraged and used to support the population fight corruption. Additionally, as is seen in this present article, there continues to be international journalistic interest in this case. There is a large community of journalists who are there to highlight such crimes. Donor and local and international CSO support of anti-corruption actors is also very important, so that anti-corruption activists know that they are not alone in their fight against corruption. The sad reality is that Mr. Tesse’s work clearly was having an impact, and his death was an indicator of the corrupt actor’s fear. We must never allow such deaths to fade away, and we must continue to highlight their work.
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