Police shoot at unarmed protestors in Haiti

Officers fired live shots at protesters angered by a corruption scandal.

Police take position in Port-au-Prince, Haiti

Police take position in Port-au-Prince, Haiti Source: EPA

Hundreds of people protested on the streets of Haiti's capital Wednesday, demanding an investigation into the alleged diversion of 3.8 billion US dollars of funds from a Venezuelan oil agreement with Haiti and other Caribbean countries.

Police officers fired live ammunition at unarmed protesters.

Protesters burned tires at makeshift barricades throughout Port-au-Prince as many called for President Jovenel Moise to step down.

Moise and his wife Michele attended a ceremony to commemorate the death of Haiti's founding father Jean Jacques Dessalines and the protests could be heard throughout the event.

A man participates in the march
A man participates in the march Source: AP


One police officer was injured when he was hit by a rock thrown by a protester after the wreath laying ceremony.

Petrocaribe was launched in June, 2005 as a Caribbean oil alliance with Venezuela giving members preferential treatment for energy purchase, at a discounted price with low-interest deferred terms and an option to pay in kind instead of currency.

Several audits have shown that much of Haiti's Petrocaribe revenue disappeared, having been disbursed for government construction contracts on projects that were never finished.

The scandal forced the resignation of Prime Minister, Jack Guy Lafontant.


Share
2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: SBS, AP

Tags

Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world