Kidnappers in Haiti release 9 people including priests, nuns

<p>PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti &mdash; Kidnappers in Haiti have released five priests, two nuns and two other people who had been held for nearly three weeks, Roman Catholic authorities said Friday.</p>
<p>The France-based Society of Priests of St. James, which runs missions in Haiti and Brazil, issued a statement expressing “our joy and our great satisfaction to find them safe and sound.”</p>
<p>It did not describe how they were released or say if a ransom had been paid.</p>
<p>Ten people were kidnapped on April 11 as they traveled to Ganthier, a community east of the capital of Port-au-Prince. Among them were nuns Anne-Marie Dorcelus and Agnès Bordeau, priests Michel Briand, Evens Joseph, Jean-Nicaise Millien, Joël Thomas and Hugues Baptiste and three relatives of another priest. Briand was identified as French.</p>
<p>One of the relatives was previously released because she was sick.</p>
<p>The kidnappings prompted Roman Catholic to close institutions in Haiti, including schools and universities, as part of a three-day protest.</p>
<p>Haiti saw a tripling of reported kidnappings last year, according to the United Nations.</p>