SVT’s photographer Ronald Verhoeven and US correspondent Fouad Youcefi are in the Dominican border town of Dajabón to interview people on the border with Haiti. It was on Friday that the military unit that patrols the border crossing with Haiti chose to take the team in for a hearing.
– They arrested the man we interviewed, put him in handcuffs and then came and took us in as well. They wanted to know exactly what relationship we had with the interviewee, says Fouad Youcefi.
Held for an hour
SVT’s team was held for about an hour, before they were allowed to leave.
– It was an unpredictable situation, and of course it was unpleasant. But there are many journalist colleagues who, unfortunately, have experienced much worse situations around the world.
Desperate situation the capital
The border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti has been closed to Haitians for many days, after violence in Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince escalated recently.
– It is clear that there is an extreme fear that the unrest in Haiti will approach the border with the Dominican Republic. Everyone is at full throttle, especially the military, says Fouad Youcefi.