Senior journalist and news director at Radio Vision 2000 has been the target of very serious threats from former Arcahaie mayor Rosemila Petit-Frère and other politicians and allies of the current government.
Tweets published by Radio Référence, of which Enock Arismat is general director and co-owner, displeased former Arcahaie mayor Rosemila Petit-Frère, a powerful figure within the current administration, who issued serious threats against him on a WhatsApp forum and on Twitter.
The Twitter account of Radio RÉFÉRENCE, a radio station broadcasting from Gonaives, Haiti’s fourth-largest city, has been very active recently. Information of critical national importance is regularly published there.
On October 28, 2022, a tweet was published highlighting a probable case of corruption within the Social Assistance Fund, a social security organization. It concerned an armored vehicle purchased by CAS director Edwin Tonton, not for the institution’s benefit but rather for former Arcahaie mayor Rosemila Petit-Frère, one of the current government’s key operatives. In fact, it was Rosemila who sponsored Tonton’s appointment to head the CAS.
This information followed another tweet published the previous day, October 27, by the radio station which referenced cases of embezzlement. More than 70 million gourdes were allegedly embezzled from the Social Assistance Fund during the 2021-2022 fiscal year, according to several sources within the institution. An investigation by the Anti-Corruption Unit remains pending. The armored vehicle purchased in the institution’s name for $120,000 USD has never been seen. Yet it was delivered by the dealer, RÉFÉRENCE tweeted.
These tweets provoked Rosemila Petit-Frère’s anger.
On Twitter and on a WhatsApp forum called “Politique autrement” (Politics Otherwise), bringing together political leaders, civil society organizations, and journalists, this woman—considered the right hand of de facto Prime Minister Ariel Henry—launched an intimidation campaign and issued death threats against Enock Arismat. She notably threatened to make him “pay the price for attacking her.”
Enock Arismat says he has taken these threats very seriously, as Rosemila is known to be an extremely dangerous woman.
On October 29, 2022, the journalist drew public attention to these threats.
In a tweet on the radio’s page, he stated: “After publishing a tweet concerning the purchase of an armored vehicle with CAS funds for the benefit of a former Arcahaie mayor, Rosemila Petit-Frère has launched an intimidation campaign against Radio RÉFÉRENCE and its General Director Enock Arismat. We are not afraid. But we are alerting public opinion to this situation, as Rosemila Petit-Frère stands accused of colluding with gangs including Krache dife.”
In statements made on Radio Caraïbes in Port-au-Prince, the leader of the Pitit Dessalines Political Party, Jean-Charles Moïse, denounced the assassination of five members of his party by police through a death squad allegedly masterminded by none other than the former mayor, Rosemila Petit-Frère. Suspicious movements have been observed in the vicinity of Radio Référence FM, where he serves as general director. Mr. Arismat also claims to have received information suggesting that Rosemila Petit-Frère is attempting to locate the residence of his parents and family.
https://ctninfo.com/journalist-enock-arismat-receives-serious-threats/
