Due to allegations that he terrorized his political rivals, the former mayor of a Haitian town is currently on trial in the US. The civil trial, which started on Monday, draws attention to the political violence and lack of accountability in Haiti.
In the complaint filed against Jean Morose Viliena, which is being considered in the US District Court in Boston, there are allegations of murder, torture, and arson in the 22,000-person community of Les Irois.
- Advertisement -
Viliena and his political associates, according to three Haitian individuals, viciously persecuted them or their family members. The Center for Justice and Accountability in San Francisco brought the action.
The previous mayor, according to the defense, helped upgrade the town’s infrastructure while abstaining from acts of violence.
During the opening statements, his lawyer, Peter Haley, created a picture of a farmer’s son who pursued an education and campaigned for mayor in 2006 in an effort to modernize the community. A stronger school system, a medical facility, more paved roads, and rubbish removal were all things that were lacking prior to his election, the defense said.
Having arrived in Malden, Massachusetts in 2009 as a legal permanent resident, Viliena works as a truck driver and is a “very productive member of the community,” according to Haley.
Bonnie Lau, a plaintiffs’ attorney, said to the jury that Viliena aggressively repressed and threatened his political rivals.
The plaintiffs contend that Viliena, a supporter of former Haitian President Michel Martelly, and his collaborators murdered the brother of a man who accused Viliena of improper behavior in government, attempted to kill two other people during a raid on a community radio station, and set 36 homes on fire while pursuing political targets.
They are suing under the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991, a US legislation that permits civil actions to be brought in the US against foreign authorities who are accused of engaging in torture or extrajudicial executions after all domestic legal options have been exhausted.
Viliena was the subject of legal concerns from the plaintiffs in Haiti, but he was ultimately released and never put on trial.
Lau said that they are filing a lawsuit in the US because the corrupt Haitian court system let them down.
Lau informed the jury that the case involved abuse of authority, murder, torture, and arson.
In Haiti, political violence is “endemic,” according to plaintiffs’ attorney Daniel McLaughlin, who made this statement before to the trial.
“It is almost impossible to seek accountability for acts of political violence that are committed by well-connected individuals,” he noted. “And that level of impunity reigns throughout Haiti.”
