An employee of Wyclef Jean’s Telemax television station in Haiti was kidnapped at gunpoint on Thursday Nov. 30 and held for $250,000 ransom, but was freed three days later out of respect for Jean and his efforts to rebuild the country.
Bidthlerson Brutus became the latest in a rash of kidnappings for ransom in Port-au-Prince when he was taken from in front of his house, which is near the headquarters of Telemax.
Wyclef and his Yele Haiti charity had arrived in Haiti on Nov. 30 with the United Nations' World Food Programme agency for a one-week festival to promote artistic and cultural development in the country. After the kidnapping, Jean performed in front of 20,000 fans and pleaded for Brutus' safe return. He also called for the kidnappings to stop so that the Haitian economy could develop.
News media network SOS Journalistes-Haiti negotiated Brutus' release. According to the Haitian Times, captors released the SOS member because of their support for Wyclef and his work on behalf of the impoverished nation.
"We freed the journalist after considering how much effort Wyclef is doing to help our sisters and brothers in the forgotten ghettos," said a captor who called himself the "Commander" and has three children himself. "I don’t like what I’m doing, but I don’t think I have an alternative for the time being. …Sometimes I really want to stop...I wish I could have a normal life. We also have feelings."
Prior to Wednesday's incidents, 10 children have been reported as kidnapped since November. Two were killed by their captors.
Bidthlerson Brutus became the latest in a rash of kidnappings for ransom in Port-au-Prince when he was taken from in front of his house, which is near the headquarters of Telemax.
Wyclef and his Yele Haiti charity had arrived in Haiti on Nov. 30 with the United Nations' World Food Programme agency for a one-week festival to promote artistic and cultural development in the country. After the kidnapping, Jean performed in front of 20,000 fans and pleaded for Brutus' safe return. He also called for the kidnappings to stop so that the Haitian economy could develop.
News media network SOS Journalistes-Haiti negotiated Brutus' release. According to the Haitian Times, captors released the SOS member because of their support for Wyclef and his work on behalf of the impoverished nation.
"We freed the journalist after considering how much effort Wyclef is doing to help our sisters and brothers in the forgotten ghettos," said a captor who called himself the "Commander" and has three children himself. "I don’t like what I’m doing, but I don’t think I have an alternative for the time being. …Sometimes I really want to stop...I wish I could have a normal life. We also have feelings."
Prior to Wednesday's incidents, 10 children have been reported as kidnapped since November. Two were killed by their captors.
