Union Leaders not satisfied with Haiti’s Minimum Wage increase & int’l community demands investigation into Police shooting of Journalist

By  Dana Malcolm & Deandrea Hamilton

#Haiti, March 3, 2022 – A journalist has been killed in ongoing protests over minimum wage in Haiti.  Media reports inform that Police opened fire on a group of protestors after days of using tear gas, and it was a bullet from that overly aggressive maneuver which struck and killed the journalist and injured several others.

Now the international community is condemning the action by authorities.

One report said: “The IPI global network of leading editors and journalists strongly condemn the killing of Haitian journalist Maximilien Lazard by police while reporting on protests in the country on February 23. IPI calls on Haitian authorities to ensure swift accountability for Lazard’s killing and ensure the safety of journalists covering demonstrations.

Lazard, a photojournalist from the social media-based broadcaster Roi des Infos, was killed when police opened fire on a protest calling for higher minimum wages for textile workers around 11 am in the capital Port-au-Prince. According to Reuters, it was a calm protest until a passing police vehicle started shooting at the crowd.  Roi des Infos released a picture showing that during the attack, Lazard was wearing his press credentials.  He passed away at the hospital.”

The protest erupted in defence of garment workers who make-up some 50,000 people who contend they are not earning a livable wage, taking home around 50 cents per hour.

Government agreed and the minimum wage in Haiti took a sharp jump by 54 per cent; however, the Union says it is not enough and not what they asked for.

The request was for at least $15 per day in pay; they have gotten half of that.

On the death of photojournalist Lazard, Haiti’s Prime Minister Ariel Henry is said to have tweeted his condolences and this: “I deplore the death of journalist Lazzare Maxihen, which occurred during workers’ demonstrations on Wednesday. I also condemn the violence that has caused injuries. I offer my condolences to the family of the deceased, as well as to the other victims of these brutal acts.”

Judge Chavannes Étienne has been appointed to inspect the killing of Lazard after the reports.