Roberson Alphonse, popular Haitian Journalist Escapes Assassination

By Sherrica Thompson

Staff Writer

#Haiti, October 29, 2022 – A popular Haitian journalist escaped death recently when he survived an assassination attempt on Tuesday, October 25, that left his car riddled with bullets in the capital of Port-au-Prince.

Roberson Alphonse, a host of a popular morning show on radio station Magik9, was on his way to work when assailants fired more than ten shots at his car, according to the Haitian daily newspaper Le Nouvelliste, where Alphonse also works.

Journalist and Editor-in-chief at Le Nouvelliste Frantz Duval said Alphonse is hospitalized and is expected to recover.

“I have just seen and spoken with Roberson Alphonse after his second operation of the day. He is stable. Thank you to all and the medical teams in particular,” the Editor-in-chief wrote on Twitter.

Also on Tuesday, authorities reported that they found the body of another journalist, Garry Tess, who had been missing for several days. Tess used to host a political talk show in the southern city of Les Cayes, according to the government’s Office of Citizen Protection. The government agency also said it is worried about the security of journalists in Haiti and urged they be protected.

No one has been arrested in either case.

Journalists in Haiti have long been the target of warring gangs who have grown more powerful since the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.

The Miami-based Inter-American Press Association said this year has been one of the most violent for the press since record-keeping began in 1987.