Journalist gunned down in Haiti, bringing number killed this year to 8

BOGOTA, Colombia 

A man gunned down over the weekend became the eighth journalist to be killed in Haiti this year, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) reported Wednesday.

Fritz Dorilas, who worked for Radio Tele Megastar, was shot dead near his home in the Tabarre neighborhood of the capital Port-au-Prince during gang clashes on Nov. 5, local press reported. Other reports said Dorilas was forcibly taken from his home and executed. Police have yet to report how his death occurred.

"We continue to deplore crimes against journalists this bloody year in our region," said Carlos Jornet, the chairman of IAPA's Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information. "The lack of justice gives even more incentive to the violent individuals."

Dorilas joins seven other journalists who were killed in violent incidents in the country this year.

Less than a week ago, another Haitian journalist, Romelson Vilsaint, died during a protest in Port-au-Prince, and last month authorities found the body of radio journalist Garry Tess.

Two Haitian journalists, Frantzsen Charles and Tayson Lartigue, were shot and their bodies set on fire in Port-au-Prince in September.

In January, two other journalists were killed by gang members while reporting in La Boule, an area south of Port-au-Prince. Wilguens Louissaint and Amady John Wesley were burned alive while reporting on the area.

Clashes between armed gangs have already left hundreds of people dead in the country and driven thousands to flee the violence in Port-au-Prince, according to authorities.

The Haitian government and the UN have called for international security assistance to help deal with the continuing escalation of violence.

The crisis and chaos have intensified in Haiti over the past few days after blockades by criminal gangs caused shortages of food, water and fuel, just as the country deals with a cholera outbreak. ​​​​​​​