MEXICO CITY (Reuters) – Armed men kidnapped a Haitian pastor and three others during a ceremony broadcast live on Facebook, the media reported on Friday, with images widely shared on social media in a country plagued by growing violence.
In the video, two members of the choir can be seen singing a hymn before suddenly dropping their microphones and cowering next to the altar. As the piano music continues to play, a man wielding a rifle enters the screen and is seen taking them away.
The incident, broadcast on Facebook and YouTube on Thursday night, took place at the Kreyol Ministry’s Seventh-day Adventist Church in Diquini, just outside the capital Port-au-Prince, according to the Miami Herald newspaper.
Gregory M. Figaro, whose father, Greger Figaro, is the ministry’s founder, told the Miami Herald that eight to ten armed men arrived in two vehicles and kidnapped the pastor and three others, including a pianist.
“If that can happen, then anything is possible in the country because there is no respect for any institution, be it a church or a school,” said Figaro, according to the Miami Herald.
Haiti has been shaken by increased violence in recent years, especially by incidents of kidnapping in exchange for ransom that have paralyzed the Haitian economy and society.
Written by Drazen Jorgic; William Mallard edition