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Veteran Haitian journalist Wesly Renaud Jean abducted, ransom requested

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Veteran Haitian journalist Wesly Renaud Jean abducted, ransom requested

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Miami, September 12, 2026—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed to learn that Haitian journalist Wesly Renaud Jean was abducted by armed gang members in the Delmas 31 neighborhood of Port-au-Prince on Sunday evening and calls on Haitian authorities to swiftly secure his safe release.

Jean, 46, is a veteran journalist and has co-hosted the major morning news program on Radio-TV Métropole for over 10 years. A witness reported his kidnapping to colleagues, though it is unclear if his abduction is related to his work. 

“The kidnapping of veteran Haitian journalist Wesly Renaud Jean is deeply alarming and highlights the growing threat that rampant gang violence poses to journalists in Haiti,” said José Zamora, CPJ’s regional director for the Americas. “Haitian authorities must act urgently to secure Jean’s safe release, investigate his abduction, and take concrete steps to protect journalists from escalating violence and insecurity.”

CPJ has confirmed that the kidnappers are seeking a ransom and have provided proof of life via telephone, according to Richard Widmaier, director of Radio-TV Metropole, who is also president of The National Association of Haitian Media (ANMH).

Various cases of kidnapping have been recorded in the Delmas 31 area over the past two years. In late August, at least 50 people were kidnapped in the farming community of Kenscoff near Haiti’s capital, adding to mounting concerns that security is not improving in the country despite the arrival of a UN-backed Gang Suppression Force (GSF). 

Local experts told CPJ that gangs are flexing their muscles in a message to Haiti’s government and police as the country prepares to hold general elections on December 13 for the first time in more than a decade. The armed gangs control an estimated 70% of Port-au-Prince and parts of Haiti’s central region, slightly down from a year ago.

Gang violence has displaced a record 1.5 million people across Haiti, with more than 3,050 people reported to have been killed this year from January to June and another 1,400 injured, according to the latest UN statistics. At least 81 people also were reported kidnapped during those six months, according to the UN, with a 40% increase in the second quarter of the year.

In 2025, CPJ provided financial support to 17 Haitian journalists, facing incidents related to their work, in the form of grants to cover needs such as psychosocial support, medical and relocation costs. CPJ has also reported about high impunity rates in the killing of journalists in Haiti due in part to a lack of stability and political will within the country and advocated for justice in their murders.

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