As announced, the Government paid tribute to the late President Jovenel Moïse in Port-au-Prince, this Thursday, July 7, 2022, in the absence of the family of the former president, who went instead to the North where the remains of the former head of state rest.
Government officials including Prime Minister Ariel Henry and members of his cabinet, the High Staff of the Armed Forces of Haiti, the High Command of the PNH and Ambassadors accredited to Haiti, met this Thursday in the gardens of the Museum of the National Pantheon (MUPANAH) in order to pay tribute to the memory of Jovenel Moïse, who was assassinated at his home in Pilgrim 5 by an armed commando on the night of 6 to 7 July 2021.
On the menu in particular, the inauguration of a mausoleum in honor of the deceased and the screening of a documentary entitled “Ochan ak rekonesans pou Prezidan Jovenel Moïse”.
After laying a wreath of flowers in memory of President Jovenel Moïse, the Head of Government said that the nation still mourns the tragic death of its President one year later, stressing that the country is still in mourning.
Ariel Henry returned with the speeches of President Jovenel Moïse, pleading that the most vulnerable people and living in the most remote corners of the territory should not be ignored. The Prime Minister calls to continue the legacy left by Jovenel Moïse by leading the fight for democracy so that Haitians can enjoy the same rights and privileges.
The Prime Minister promised to work so that the intellectual authors, accomplices and all those who are involved in this crime are identified, brought to justice and convicted. He invites the parties involved in the judicial follow-up to do what is necessary for the success of the investigation.
Ariel Henry promised to work for the establishment of a climate of peace and stability conducive to the organization of elections in the country.
Martine Moïse and her relatives were rather in the North
The family of the former president chose (as announced) not to respond to the invitation of the Government to participate in the official ceremony in memory of Jovenel Moïse.
“The Moïse Family does not intend in any case to attend the commemorative activities taken in charge by the Haitian State, whose head of government is the subject of serious presumptions of assassination on the President of the Republic” could be read in a communiqué of the communication office of the former First Lady of the Republic.
Indeed, Martine Moïse, her daughter and son, relatives and supporters of Jovenel Moïse as well as former ministers of the administration of the former president, organized their own ceremony of tribute in memory of President Jovenel Moïse this Thursday, July 7, 2022, in the private garden of the family Moïse in Madeline, Cap-Haitian, in the second city of the country.
A requiem mass was sung on the occasion.
In an atmosphere full of emotion, the former First Lady, Martine Moïse expressed once again her indignation at this barbaric act committed on her husband, by Colombian mercenaries with the complicity of Haitians she said.
Martine Moïse recalls having lived her worst nightmare in the night of July 6 to 7, 2021 after having almost died and lost her husband. For the native of Chansolme (Commune of the department of North-West), Jovenel Moïse was eliminated for having defended the cause of the weakest and for having refused to join in maneuvers to their disadvantage.
In her speech, Martine Moïse regrets that the situation of the population has worsened one year after the brutal death of President Jovenel Moïse, reporting that insecurity, kidnapping and misery have increased.
The 48-year-old widow remains hopeful that justice will be served despite the fact that the case of her husband’s murder is not moving forward in Haiti. She calls on her relatives to be courageous, persevering and vigilant.
The former Prime Minister Claude Joseph who took part in the event reiterated his willingness to fight for justice for the man who had propelled him to the forefront of the political scene and the Haitian public administration.
Dr. Claude Joseph regrets the campaign of denigration that had been orchestrated against President Jovenel Moïse during his exercise of power while he noted, Jovenel Moïse was animated by a rare courage and a dynamism to any test.
President Jovenel Moïse was shot 12 times during the night of July 6 to 7, 2021 by an armed commando at his home in Pèlerin 5. His wife, Martine, was seriously wounded.
What about the judicial progress
The case of the assassination of Jovenel Moïse has already been assigned to five investigating judges. The progress is far from being significant. Haitian justice is paralyzed and undermined by corruption and recurring crises. The judicial infrastructure is also not spared by the bandits. Indeed, the Port-au-Prince courthouse was invaded by assailants who still control it for a month.
During a press conference last Tuesday, June 28, the spokesman for the Haitian National Police, Inspector Gary Desrosiers recalled that more than thirty people have already been brought to justice and more than a dozen others are sought by the PNH in partnership with Interpol for their alleged involvement in the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse.
He stressed that 33 police officers are dismissed from the PNH and 3 others are placed on leave following the recommendations of the PNH General Inspection on the involvement of police officers in this crime.
An investigation into the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse is being conducted in parallel in the United States where several suspects are incarcerated.
Martine Moïse, in an interview with CNN, said she trusted the American justice system to establish the facts and punish the culprits.
It should be noted that one of the persons presented as a suspect in the assassination of the Haitian president, the Haitian businessman of Jordanian origin Samir Handal, detained in Turkey since last November, recovered his freedom last Monday. The Turkish justice was not convinced by the extradition request of the Haitian government, reports the Turkish news agency DHA.
Samir Handal did not want to be extradited to Haiti, under the pretext that he risks being mistreated or killed. At the same time, he denies his involvement in the murder of the Haitian head of state.
Three other people, suspected of being involved in the magnicide of July 7, 2021 in Pilgrim 5, have been charged in recent months in the United States. They are the Haitian businessman Rodolphe Jaar, the former Colombian military Mario Antonio Palacios Palacios and former Haitian Senator John Joel Joseph.
