Mob violence and armed gangs posed severe security threats in urban areas. Former soldiers, others linked to the former military regime, and common criminals were responsible for much of the violence, including political assassinations. Private security forces that carry out extra-legal search and seizures are illegal but flourishing. A number of independent newspapers and radio stations exist. Outlets critical of the government remain targets of official intimidation, including mob attacks.
Television is state-run and strongly biased toward the government.
In October 1998, a former Haitian judge was arrested in connection with the 1982 murder of a well-known journalist. Labor rights, as with all other legally sanctioned guarantees, remain essentially unenforced. Unions are generally too weak to engage in collective bargaining, and their organization efforts are undermined by the high unemployment rate.