The Honorable Joseph R. Biden President of the United States The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW Washington, D.C. 20500
Dear President Biden,
March 17, 2022
As members of Congress, we are committed to strengthening bilateral and trade relations with the Republic of Haiti, the second oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere. However, we are deeply concerned regarding the ongoing political crisis in the country. Therefore, we urge your administration to allow the people of Haiti to determine their political destiny by supporting consensus among political actors, civil society, religious and private sectors to create a civil society-led democratic transition.
Due to the extent of the insecurity challenges in Haiti, it is impossible to hold elections in this climate. In 2016, roughly 21 percent of the voting population participated in the presidential election. While elections are often a sign of democracy, holding elections in a climate where citizens are afraid to leave their homes for fear of being kidnapped or killed would severely undermine the electoral process. Hence, your administration must prioritize peace, safety, and security. Elections are necessary but not sufficient to bring about stability in the country if optimal conditions are not met, and consensus among various sectors has not been achieved.
We believe there is a path forward to a democratic transition in Haiti backed by the Haitian people. However, any steps taken to lead to such a transition have limited prospects for success if the United States continues to support the de facto government of Dr. Ariel Henry, who has no incentive to negotiate in good faith while enjoying unfettered support from the United States. There is no doubt that aspects of U.S. policy towards Haiti have undermined the nation's development, peace, and security. However, we have a chance to fix our past mistakes and support the Haitian people to put their country on a path toward true democracy. Now is the time.
Furthermore, your administration's support for Dr. Henry appears contradictory to your stated goal that the United States will not tilt the scales of Haitian politics. Dr. Henry lacks the legitimacy to organize elections and does not have the consensus needed to galvanize the Haitian people to the polls. Dr. Henry's legitimacy comes from the international community, not the Haitian people. We are aware that a growing number of civil societies, the private sector, and political organizations in Haiti have mobilized to offer a more representative inclusive path forward to steer Haiti towards
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the direction of sustainable democracy. We are hopeful that your administration will take meaningful steps to substantively engage with these groups.
Additionally, we are deeply concerned that, under the Henry government, there continues to be little progress in the investigation of the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse that took place last July and that those investigating the case in Haiti have faced threats and intimidation. It is crucial that the intellectual authors and those directly involved in President Moïse’s assassination be held accountable to provide clarity and best help Haiti resolve its political crisis. As members of Congress, we urge your administration to take the necessary steps to keep us apprised of the investigation and to thoroughly examine and disclose any roles that American citizens or organizations may have played in the assassination, including any individual who has previously worked as an informant for the United States.
In closing, we humbly request that your administration allow the people of Haiti to determine their own political destiny and withdraw support from the de facto government; assist actors working to investigate the assassination and to address insecurity and other institutional challenges; and support free, fair, transparent, and inclusive elections in Haiti only after security and political conditions allow, as determined by the Haitian people. Policies coming out of Washington must be consistent with the will of the Haitian people, democratic ideals, and the rule of law.
Sincerely,
_________________________ Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20) Member of Congress
_________________________ Hakeem Jeffries (NY-8) Member of Congress
_________________________ Val Demings (FL-10)
Member of Congress
_________________________ Dwight Evans (PA-3)
Member of Congress
_________________________ Andy Levin (MI-9)
Member of Congress
_________________________ Yvette Clarke (NY-9)
Member of Congress
_________________________ Mondaire Jones (NY-17) Member of Congress
______________________ Ayanna Pressley (MA-7) Member of Congress
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CC:
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken
U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai
Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian A. Nichols
Haiti wants Jamaica to turn over second suspect in president’s assassination
Updated March 15, 2022 2:20 PM
Haiti wants a former politician accused in the brazen assassination of President Jovenel Moïse last July to be returned to the country from Jamaica.
The country’s foreign minister has sent an official request to Jamaica seeking the return of former senator John Joël Joseph, a high-ranking Haitian government source confirmed to the Miami Herald.
In Jamaica, Joseph is charged with illegal entry after he, his wife and two sons were arrested in January in rural St. Elizabeth parish. It is unclear if Haitian authorities are requesting Joseph’s deportation or extradition. Haiti and Jamaica do not share an extradition agreement. Joseph, who also goes by the name Joseph Joël John, is a Haitian citizen. He ended up in Jamaica after spending months in hiding after the July 7, 2021, assassination of Moïse at his private residence.
The late president, whose mandate officially ended last month according to the international community’s timetable, was shot 12 times and his wife was seriously injured after an alleged hit squad of former Colombian military stormed his home. They were joined by two Haitian Americans and current and former Haiti National Police officers.
Joseph is considered a key suspect in the case who can shed light on the motive behind Moïse’s slaying and why the mission changed from kidnapping and arresting the president to killing him. Several other suspects interviewed by both Haitian and U.S. investigators have said the initial plan was to arrest the president, who had been accused by opponents of remaining in office beyond his term.
Haitian police say Joseph was in contact with several of the suspects in the assassination plot and attended meetings about the attack. A 124-page Haiti National Police investigative report obtained by the Herald also accused him of paying for the rental vehicles that were to be used in the assassination.
Documents seeking Joseph’s return to Haiti were sent to Jamaica on March 10, the same day that Joseph appeared in a Kingston court, where a judge put off a decision on his fate.
“Mr. John Joël Joseph is considered a fugitive from justice and is suspected of being an accessory to a crime,” the Haiti official said. “All of this has been clearly stated in the correspondence.”
Jamaica Minister of Justice Delroy Chuck did not respond to an inquiry from the Herald about the request.
The investigation of Moïse’s murder has stalled in Haiti, where the first investigative judge resigned from the case before even starting, the second had it taken from him after he was accused of corruption and failed to meet a legal deadline to bring formal charges, and a third turned down a request to take over the investigation due to safety concerns.
Earlier this month a fourth investigative judge, Merlan Belabre, was assigned to the case. But in a handwritten press release dated Saturday, Belabre expressed concerns about his safety, saying that 10 days after his naming no effort had been made to ensure his and his family’s security.
“The executive power, the superior council of the judicial power have delivered me and my family to the assassins and kidnappers,” he said in the note, which several sources confirmed was written by him.
The little progress there has been in the investigation has occurred in the U.S. Two suspects are currently in custody when they voluntarily came to the U.S. after being detained outside of Haiti. A Colombian former soldier, Mario Antonio Palacios Palacios, was picked up by U.S. federal agents in Panama on Jan. 3 during the process of being deported to Colombia by Jamaica.
The second suspect, Rodolphe Jaar, a convicted drug trafficker, was escorted by U.S. federal agents to Miami last month after being detained in the Dominican Republic. Both are believed to be cooperating with U.S. prosecutors, who in a criminal complaint have accused both of conspiring to commit murder or kidnapping outside of the United States and providing material support resulting in death, knowing that such support would be used to carry out a plot to kill the Haitian president.
An American national of Haitian origin arrested at Toussaint Louverture Airport
Agents of the National Police of Haiti apprehended this Saturday, (March 19th) at Toussaint Louverture International Airport, an American national of Haitian origin. This is Jean-Baptiste Jean Appolon who had a 9 mm caliber pistol in his possession, informs the PNH.
Port-au-Prince, March 19, 2022.- Agents of the Brigade for the Fight Against Narcotics Trafficking (BLTS), a specialized unit of the National Police of Haiti, proceeded to the arrest this Saturday at the Toussaint Louverture International Airport, of an American citizen of Haitian origin.
This is Jean-Baptiste Jean Appolon. The latter had in his possession a 9 mm caliber pistol, informs the PNH.
He was about to board a flight to New York.
The pistol he had in his possession is a Glock and serial BGAB363, police said.
For the moment, the defendant is kept in sight at the DCPJ (Central Directorate of the Judicial Police) pending his transfer to the judicial authorities after a hearing.
Jean Allens Macajoux
HAITI SECURITY
Vant Bèf Info
Police officer Davickson Désir and three other people killed Friday in Carrefour. Death yesterday Friday (March 18th) in Carrefour, of the police officer Davickson Désir and three other individuals in different circumstances.
Carrefour, March 19, 2022. At least four gunshot deaths were recorded for Friday alone in Carrefour.
It is a policeman, Davickson Désir, and three other individuals. Two of the other victims would be members of a gang operating in Martissant, we learned.
These individuals were shot at Mon Repos 36, not far from the tribunal de paix.
MURDER OF POLICE OFFICER
Vant Bèf Info
As part of the investigation into the assassination of police officer Henry Marc Mollians, the national police apprehend the named Kecheler Pierre Louis.
Canaan, March 19, 2022. The National Police of Haiti arrested this Saturday, one of the alleged assassins of police officer Henry Marc Mollians.
He responds to the name of Kecheler Pierre Louis.
Born on November 15, 1994 in Moron, this individual is a member of the gang operating in the locality of Canaan, commune of Croix-des-Bouquets.
Apart from this assassination, the police accuse him of involvement in the armed attacks perpetrated against the Canaan police station.
Armed individuals had murdered the policeman last week after breaking into his house in Canaan.
The victim was assigned to the Central Directorate of Judicial Police (DCPJ).