Thony Belizaire (March 30, 1955 – July 21, 2013) was a Haitian photographer and

photojournalist Photojournalism is journalism that uses images to tell a news story. It usually only refers to still images, but can also refer to video used in broadcast journalism. Photojournalism is distinguished from other close branches of photography (such ...

, who reported for Agence France Presse (AFP) in Haiti for more than twenty-five years, from May 1987 until his death in July 2013. Belizaire covered some of the most important stories in Haiti over the past three decades, including the

2010 Haiti earthquake A disaster, catastrophic Moment magnitude scale, magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake struck Haiti at 16:53 local time (21:53 UTC) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest (department), Ouest department, a ...

. He earned numerous awards for journalism and photography. Belizaire was born on March 30, 1955. A photographer, Belizaire joined the staff of AFP in May 1987 as a

. In 2013, Belizaire began work on photo essays that explored

environment of Haiti There have been great challenges to the environment and biodiversity of Haiti. Deforestation in Haiti has left approximately 30% percent of forest cover at present. Flora and fauna The island of Hispaniola is home to more than 6,000 plants, of ...

, as well as photographs of potential development needed to improve the quality of life for the average Haitian. In addition to his work with AFP, Belizaire founded the Union of Haitian Journalists and Photographers (UJPH). He was also a contributor to

Radio Kiskeya Radio Kiskeya is a radio station in Port-au-Prince, Haiti that broadcasts music, talk shows, sports, news, and cultural programs. Its news covers both Haiti and the international community, and its music spans on compas, jazz, tubes, and other ...

. Belizaire, who had fought oral cancer, died from complications of respiratory difficulties at the Canapé Vert hospital in Pétion-Ville, a suburb of

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

, on July 21, 2013, at the age of 54. He had still been reporting as recently as July 19, when he covered a local protest against the legalization of same-sex marriage. He was survived by his wife, Marie-Florence, and three children – Jeremie, Jonathan and Jovanny. Prime Minister of Haiti Laurent Lamothe called Belizaire an "outstanding professional" noting that "Mr. Belizaire devoted more than 30 years of his life to covering the major social, political and cultural events in the life of the Haitian people." The regional director of AFP for North America, David Millikin, also paid tribute to his life, "Thony was a gentle but very courageous man – not only for ignoring personal risk while covering the momentous events which marked Haiti's recent history, but also for pursuing his career with passion and diligence despite battling serious health issues in recent years."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belizaire, Thony 1955 births 2013 deaths Haitian photojournalists Agence France-Presse photojournalists Agence France-Presse journalists