The Ordeal of Journalist Jocelyn Justin, Abandoned in Cuba
By La Rédaction · Port-au-Prince · · 2 min read · Updated 24 April 2026
Translated from French — AI-assisted and reviewed by the editorial team. The French version is authoritative. Read the original · About our translation policy
PORT-AU-PRINCE.— Nearly a year after the tragedy of December 24, 2024, at HIEH, Haitian journalist Jocelyn Justin remains in a critical condition in Cuba, without any assistance from the Haitian state. Seriously injured during the shooting that claimed the lives of two other colleagues and a police officer near the General Hospital of Port-au-Prince, he now lives in conditions deemed inhumane.
According to SOS Journalistes, the organization led by Joseph Guyler C. Delva, Justin still suffers from severe maxillofacial injuries requiring urgent surgical operation. The intervention, initially scheduled for July 2025, was never performed due to lack of funds and administrative follow-up. The journalist is reportedly now homeless, without medication, food, or resources.
“This is an urgent humanitarian case. We call on the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) and the government of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé to take their responsibilities. The silence of the authorities is unacceptable,” Joseph Guyler C. Delva stated in a note.
This appeal comes in a context where promises of support made by the authorities after the tragedy have vanished. No concrete measures have been taken to help the injured journalists or the victims' families.
Facing what it describes as “deliberate abandonment,” SOS Journalistes announces a series of peaceful actions, including sit-ins in front of the Primature and the Villa d’Accueil, to demand immediate answers.
“The government must be held accountable. We cannot accept that a press professional, injured in the exercise of his duty, is left for dead abroad. This is a national disgrace,” Delva hammered.
The organization warns that it will hold the Haitian authorities responsible for any deterioration in Jocelyn Justin’s health.
Beyond the individual case, this affair reopens the debate on the protection of journalists in Haiti, in a context of generalized violence and institutional decay. For many observers, the government’s inaction illustrates the fragility of the state in fulfilling its fundamental obligations, particularly towards those who, through their work, document the country’s tragedies.
Jean Mapou
