Photos

Here is a picture of Florence Laraque who was abducted and then released with broken leg.

As per the report of Gary Desrosiers, the Inspector and spokesman of the National Police of Haiti, on the night of Wednesday, February 24th, 2016, Florence Laraque was released from captivity by an operation conducted at the wharf of Jérémie by a team consisting several units of the National Police of Haiti. Jérémie is a neighborhood located in the north of the capital. Florence is the wife of the Haitian comedian, Ashley Laraque who is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Fusion party of Social Democrats Haitians.

She was abducted by gunmen who were traveling on the Highway Brothers in Petion-while in a vehicle in the evening of Tuesday, February 23, 2016. Florence Laraque works as an interior decorator. On the evening of February 23, she was waiting outside her house for the gate to open when she was picked up by those gunmen who abducted her and flew in a blue pathfinder with license plate AA 147- 218. The victim was found by the police with a broken leg, probably caused by the abuse of her abductors. As per the released report, no arrest was made during the operation. After her release, Florence was taken to a hospital for medical assessment. Recently, regular news of kidnappings for ransom is coming from different sources. Most of the kidnappings were works of professional gangs while some were planned and executed by people already known to the victims. We might remember that Haiti had successfully curbed its kidnapping rate in the early 2014 since the United Nations provided anti-kidnapping support led by Robert Arce, a veteran American cop and law enforcement consultant. However, the Director General of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), Godson Orélus, has said, we will never allow the kidnapping to return to Haiti.

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Here is a picture of Amaral Duclona, gang leader in Cité Soleil, Operation Bagdad.

Amaral Duclona, aka "Berthone Jolicoeur, is a charismatic Haitian who was born and brought up in the slums of Cité Soleil. He was the leader of a gang "chimeric", close to the former President Aristide and a foot soldier in the Aristide's terrorist army of Operation Baghdad. On January 6, 2004, Claude Bernard Lauture (Billy, 51 year old), a Haitian/ French businessman in the electrical engineering field, and a member of the Group of 184 (which was the most powerful coalition of "civil society" organizations in Haiti during the lead up to the 2004 coup that ousted Aristide), was abducted by gunmen while he was driving. A few hours later, his family received a ransom call of $100,000. The next day, his body was found riddled with bullets in Cité Soleil, the largest slum in Haiti. Duclona was arrested in September 2009 in the Dominican Republic and extradited to France in 2010; he was accused of kidnapping, forcible confinement and murder of Claude Lauture. In May 2014 during the first trial, the Court of Assise in Paris convicted Amaral Duclona to 25 years in jail. As per Billy's widow, Marie Louise Michele Lauture's statement, former President Jean Bertrand Aristide was behind the murder. On Friday, February 12, 2016, in the trial on appeal of Amaral Duclona, the Assize Court of Créteil (Val-de-Marne, France) has completely acquitted him of all charges as the court not get sufficient evidence from some of the key Haitian witnesses to testify against him.

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Here is a picture of Police officer Placide Jean-Louis as he was killed in Champ de Mars.

On Wednesday, February 17, 2016, a Police officer named Placide Jean-Louis was killed with multiple bullet injuries. His body was found near the Museum of Haitian National Pantheon (MUPANAH) on the Champ de Mars. The police man was an Agent IV officer, working in Cite Soleil. According to Garry Desrosiers, the Principal Inspector and Deputy Spokesperson of the National Police of Haiti, the victim was returning from a commercial bank when he was shot several times by two unidentified gunmen who fled on a motorcycle.

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Here is a picture of the Home of Marie-Claire Heureuse.

Marie-Claire Heureuse Félicité Bonheur, the first Empress consort of the independent Haiti, was the daughter of two poor but free Haitians from Leogane. She was born sometime in 1758. After becoming widow of her first husband Pierre Lunic in 1795, she married Jean-Jacques Dessalines in 1800 and became the Empress consort of Haiti (1804-1806) as the spouse of Jean-Jacques Dessalines. In early 1804, when Jacques Dessalines (born 20 September 1758, died 17 October 1806) issued drastic order, the extermination of the entire White population of Haiti, Marie-Claire was adamantly opposed to this policy and she made no secret of the fact. From her earliest days, she had been a nurse and teacher by heart. She maintained her principles and values, relentlessly worked to alleviate the suffering of prisoners and wounded men irrespective of their colors and races. In 1843, she was granted a modest pension by the government, but it was not because she was a former imperial consort; it was offered because the government confiscated all of her husband's extensive properties leaving nothing to her. Marie died on 8 August 1858 (aged 99-100).

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Here is a picture of Liliane Pierre-Paul, husband Anthony Barbier and Marvel Dandin.

The sheer determination and commitment of Liliane Pierre-Paul as a journalist has made her the most outspoken critic of the government since the final days of the Duvalier regime. Her bold reporting curtailed the Pierre-Paul's movement, she was imprisoned for her views on governments, faced numerous death threats and she was on several hit lists. Liliane was even forced to move on a six-year exile in Venezuela and Curacao-- but she never chose to remain silent. Her devotion helped her to win the 'Courage Journalism Award' in 1990. On February 18, 2016, Anthony Barbier has been installed as the Secretary General of the National Palace, replacing Jean Renel Sanon. M Barber holds a Masters in Sociology of development and a PhD in Education. He has held many important government portfolios, such as Chief of Staff of the Minister of Education (1990-1991), Minister of Administration and the Civil Service (1994-1995), Deputy Coordinator of the National Commission for Administrative Reform (CNRA) in the Government of Haiti (1996-2001), Consultant to the Ministry of Culture and Communication (1998-2001), and Member of Cabinet of the Minister of Public Health (2007-2008). Marvel Dandin is a revered journalist, expert political analyst and the Director General and co-owner of the Radio TV Kiskeya. He developed his skills as a reporter under Michele Montas who is one of the most celebrated radio journalists of our time and a leading UN spokesperson.

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Here is a picture of Mirlande Manigat with {Provisional President Jocelerme Privert as she is a possible candidate for Prime minister.

On February 16th, 2016, Provisional President Privert had a meeting with Mr. André Michel at the National Palace along with several other political leaders. Mr. André Michel was the presidential candidate under the banner of the JISTIS. Mirlande H. Manigat was also present there in her capacity of the General Secretary of the Rally of Progressive National Democrats (RDNP). After the conclusion of the meeting, Michel said he has proposed the name of Mirlande Manigat as the new Prime Minister to lead the Transitional Government and President Privert was convinced that there would be no problem of cohabitation with Mirlande Manigat as his Prime Minister. André looked confident on the belief that the President would accept his choice.

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Here is a picture of Dr. Rony Gilot who became Secretaire Adjoint of the national palace.

Dr. Rony Gilot, a veteran politician and author, has been chosen as the Secretaire Adjoint of the National Palace. Dr. Gilot was once the Information Minister of Baby Doc Duvalier and used to maintain regular communication with Baby Doc when the junior Duvalier was in exile in Paris. He has written a biography of the Papa Doc Duvalier titled "The Misunderstood". Gilot is sympathetic and partially supports the autocratic rules of the Duvalier era, because he believes that it was in some ways, were similar to the postwar German and Italian rules, necessary to make a nation disciplined. His latest book released in 2012 was titled as "In Grateful Memory of Jean-Claude Duvalier or Luck Overused". He has also written a book on the former Haitian Prime Minister Garry Conille titled as "At the Option of the Memory ̶ Garry Conille or the Passage of a Meteor."

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Here is a poicture of the Ricord's Iguana, Haiti's giant iguanas, threatened species.

'Iguana' or rhinoceros iguana or Ricord's Ground or Rock Iguana (Cyclura cornuta) is primarily found on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, shared by the Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It is a threatened species in the lizard family that varies in length from 60 to 136 centimeters (24 to 54 inches). The populations of 'iguana' are even more endangered in Haiti because of its deforestation, predators, and human habitat. Ricord's iguana prefers dry xeric scrubland with sandy and earthen soils in which they excavate burrows for retreats. Their several key environmental factors, including soil depth and texture, bedrock parental material, landform, and climate seem to determine their presence. A recent, conservative but fair estimate suggests a current population between 2,000 and 4,000 within the 100 square kilometers of the South-Central part of the island of Hispaniola, and it is rapidly declining. Adult population of Iguana in Haiti could be less than one hundred. In August 2012, Dr. Masani Accimé, found a group of hatchling Ricord's Iguanas (15 numbers) in the dry forests of southeast Haiti.

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Here is a picture of Haitian Agriculture Minister, Joanas Gué.

The former Minister of Agriculture, Jonas Gué was one among the six potential candidates to the post of the Prime Minister which was published on Friday, February 19. His other five contenders for the post were: the economist and former Governor of the Haitian National Bank, Fritz Jean (the present Prime Minister); Director of the Radio Télé Antilles international, Jacques Sampeur; Myrlande Hyppolite Manigat, a presidential runner-up in 2010; the former Senator Dieusseul Simon Desras ; and the former Senator Edgar Leblanc Fils from OPL (Organisation du peuple en lutte). We might remember that in February 2010, following the devastating earthquake, then Agriculture Minister Jonas Gué asked for debt relief when he visited Rome to meet with senior officials of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) during the 33rd session of the Funds' Governing Council. He convinced them to ease the burden in order to rehabilitate and strengthen Haiti's agriculture and rural sector following the previous month's devastating earthquake. In July 2010, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cancelled its $268 million debts owed by Haiti and extended a loan support amounting to $60 million under extended credit facility (ECF) plan.

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Here is a picture of inspector Garry Desrosiers providing an update on the insecurity in Haiti.

As per the news report dated February 21, 2016, Garry Desrosiers, Inspector and the deputy spokesman of the PNH has warned all Haitian citizens to be careful with their love life. Now the kidnappers are using new strategies to commit acts of kidnapping. Some lady accomplices of the kidnappers would lure men with seductive acts and invite them home. However, instead of taking the person to the home, lead them to their accomplices and demand ransom for their release. We might remember that on November 26, 2015, Garry Desrosiers reported on the insecurity and attacks on the police personnel. Between 14 September and 20 November, 2015, at least a dozen police officers were killed and several others were wounded by bandit bullets. He had claimed that the police managed to put 55 bandits behind the bar by an operation named "Storm", who were responsible for the murders of police officers and religious people.

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