Following the kidnapping of five people and yet another pastor from a church in separate incidents last weekend, residents of two Port-au-Prince neighborhoods protested on Monday.
Members of the Protestant religious community in Delmas gathered in protest on Monday after the kidnapping of Pastor Eliodor Dévariste on Oct. 9. The protesters blocked the road to Delmas 28, demanding the pastor’s immediate release. They participated in a sit-in in front of the premises of the Free Methodist Church of Parc-Chrétien to denounce the recent rise in kidnappings at protestant churches. The demonstrators vowed to continue protesting until Dévariste is released.
The Oct. 9 church kidnapping is the third reported in two weeks. On Oct. 3 heavily-armed individuals kidnapped Pastor Jean Mary Ferrer Michel, 79, and church members Isabelle Devendegis and Norman Weiner in Delmas 29. On Sept. 26, criminals killed Pastor Deacon Sylner Lafaille and kidnapped his wife, Marthe Etienne, from a different church.
In Montagne Noire, near Pétion-Ville, the protesters demanded an end to kidnapping and rise in violence by blocking major roads with burning tires and branches. Details about the five people taken were not available. Read more