We know that two hostages have been released in Haiti. We thank God for that! We can only provide limited information, but we can report that the two released hostages are fine, in good spirits and worried,” the organization said on Sunday.
“We are pleased with this release, and our hearts go out to the 15 who remain in detention,” the statement said.
Authorities in the United States and Haiti have not publicly commented on whether any of the hostages have been released. Haitian police, the US embassy in Haiti, the justice minister, the secretary of state, the prime minister’s office and the US State Department did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Officials and humanitarian agencies in the United States and Haiti have been largely silent about the hostage release. The detainees demanded $1 million in exchange for holding a hostage, Haiti’s Minister of Justice and Interior Liszt Koedel told CNN earlier.
Extortion in Haiti is widespread, often random, targeting rich and poor, young and old. According to local human rights agency CARDH, kidnappings have been on the rise in the months following the assassination of President Jovanel Moise in July, and the country’s political instability has been exacerbated by rising crime. The group of 400 Maui is particularly notorious for its mass kidnappings.
“Is a month that long? We remember the early days when we hoped for a quick response and a timely release, and our hearts cried, ‘Lord, how long will this last?” Released on November 19.
CNN’s Samantha Beach, Joe Sutton, Edwin Dubin and Matt Rivers contributed reporting.
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