Four years ago, Haitian businessman Edouard Baussan sued the editors of Haiti Solidarity, the journal of the Haiti Action Committee, for defamation in relation to an article that we published about the Lasalin Massacre. We have settled the suit without revealing the name of the Haitian author/journalist who wrote the article in question under a pseudonym, and without paying any money. We are deeply grateful to our lawyers, Paul Clifford and James Wheaton of the First Amendment Project, for their dedicated work and support throughout this lengthy lawsuit. As part of the settlement, we have issued the following statement:
In April 2019, Haiti Solidarity, the journal of Haiti Action Committee, published an article titled, “The Lasalin Massacre: Is It An Accidental Event, a Fight Between Rival Gangs to Control an Area, or a Calculated and Planned Political Act?” The article was originally written in Haitian Kreyol and translated into English by Haiti Action Committee. In publishing the article, we were not attempting to implicate Mr. Baussan in the Lasalin massacre or any other crimes. We recognize that portions of the article can be interpreted to imply this. For that reason, we are taking down the article. The publication regrets any misunderstanding.