Tuesday morning, the lifeless body of Jean Rubens Eugène (28), a student at the Institut des Hautes Études Commerciales et Economiques was discovered at 4th Avenue Bolosse. The young man who had been charged to bring the ransom in exchange for the release of 5 young hostages from the same Protestant religious congregation of Martissant 7, kidnapped on February 9 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30001-haiti-news-zapping.html was allegedly shot dead by the kidnappers.

It is unknown whether he brought part of the ransom or all of it (3 million gourdes), or the reasons which would have led the kidnappers to kill him. According to our sources, the 5 hostages are still in the hands of the kidnappers.

The day before this tragedy, Inspector Gary Desrosiers, Deputy spokesperson for the Haitian National Police (PNH) at a press conference acknowledged a "spectacular rise" in the kidnapping phenomenon, without however communicating figures indicating that an investigation was opened into the increase in crime cases including the kidnapping... "We are very concerned at the level of the PNH about the worrying rise in kidnappings and there is a set of measures adopted within the police institution [...]" without giving details, ensuring that the police will not sit idly by and will do everything to get the situation back to normal.

Tuesday it was the turn of Jean Roody Aly Minister of Justice to speak on this subject at a press conference, confirming the authorities' concern over the security situation in the country, ensuring that police operations were underway, particularly in the metropolitan region to restore order and peace, without further details...

Regarding the kidnapping cases, Minister Aly confirmed that several kidnapping cases have been recorded in the capital in recent days through the PNH's kidnapping cell and the national intelligence services calling on the population not to panic, so that almost every day a citizen is kidnapped... "Do not panic [...] The police give the appropriate response to this situation. We ask the kidnappers to change jobs. There is no future for them. The police will track them down until their last entrenchment. We also ask the justice system to crack down with the utmost rigor against anyone involved in the kidnapping, regardless of their situation..."

Statements which are far from erasing the fear of the ordinary citizen who is more and more hesitant to leave his home, reducing his trips, fearing to be the next victim of kidnappers...

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-30001-haiti-news-zapping.html

TB/ PI/ HaitiLibre