The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) urges the Haitian authorities to adopt the necessary measures to determine the situation and whereabouts of the journalist Vladjimir Legagneur, missing since March 14, 2018 in one of the most dangerous areas of the capital of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. In addition to protecting the rights to life and personal integrity of Legagneur, the State must direct a thorough investigation into the alleged events that led to his disappearance.

According to the available information, the 30 year old photo-journalist left his house at 9:00 a.m. in the morning of March 14 to report on the living conditions in Grand Ravine, in the district Martissant, from which he never returned.

A freelancer since 2017, Legagneur previously worked for the newspaper Le Matin, the online news agency Loop Haïti and other media outlets. In addition to news stories, he covered news on social issues and worked for NGOs in the country. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reported that according to the local organization Kolektif 2 Dimansyon (K2D), Legagneur was working on an independent project exploring the aftermath of clashes between police and gangs in the neighborhood of Grand-Ravine.

Various media and defense organizations of journalists such as the National Association of Haitian Media (ANHM), Reporters Without Borders, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), among others, expressed their concern over the slow investigation and the silence of the police and judicial authorities on the measures taken to locate the journalist, who disappeared two weeks ago.

The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression was created by the IACHR to encourage the defense of the right to freedom of thought and expression in the hemisphere, given the fundamental role this right plays in consolidating and developing the democratic system.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23967-haiti-case-legagneur-a-gang-leader-involved-in-the-disappearance-of-the-journalist.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23952-haiti-case-legagneur-bones-of-a-body-without-head-found-in-grand-ravine.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23931-haiti-security-the-mystery-remains-around-the-disappearance-of-journalist-legagneur.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23928-haiti-news-zapping.html

HL/ HaitiLibre