Joverlein Moïse, the son of the assassinated Haitian president, Jovenel Moïse, has written to the United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, urging him to exert his influence so that those Haitians accused of involvement in the July 7, 2021 assassination of his father and residing in the United States, can be brought before the American justice system.
In his open letter to Rubio, Joverlain wrote that both the United States and Haiti are among the two oldest sovereign nations on the continent and that their histories are intertwined with citizens sharing a common responsibility to uphold the democratic ideal while defending human dignity.
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He wrote that for several decades, the Haitian people have endured a succession of crises that continue to worsen and that the “brutal assassination” of his constitutionally-elected father felt like “we reached the bottom of this descent into hell.”
“This despicable and unprecedented act killed a president, but not the hope, the vision, or the dignity that Jovenel Moïse, the man, embodied for his people,” he wrote of his father’s killing at his private residence overlooking the capital. Moise’s wife was also injured during the attack and several former Colombian soldiers have since been detained in connection with the murder.
The younger Moïse told Rubio that as a former Senator from the State of Florida, home to the largest Haitian diaspora, “you are well aware of the economic and political dynamics that have undermined Haiti.”
“You are also aware of the nefarious role played by certain powerful oligarchs who have long financed terrorist activities, political instability, multiple coup d’état, and ultimately, the assassination of my father.
“An assassination accompanied by unspeakable acts of torture. A bullet-riddled body, which I myself donned before it was buried. This tragedy paved the way for looting and massacres: children, women, men, all victims of a corrupt and predatory system,” he wrote in the letter that is also posted on his Facebook page.
Joverlain told Rubio that he knows that competent American institutions have apprehended some of these “oligarchs, yet, others, who have fomented more than one plot against Haiti…still enjoy the protection of your territory today, unmolested.
”It goes without saying that, with your influence, you have the capacity and moral authority, to contribute to ensuring that justice is done. You are also aware that the financial resources of these criminals far exceed those of our weakened judicial institutions, many of which they have already infiltrated, corrupted, and neutralized.”
Joverlain said it is imperative that the perpetrators of such serious crimes be tried in a country with institutions capable of guaranteeing real and appropriate justice.
“The entire world knows that the Haitian judicial system has been dismantled by those it should be prosecuting. As long as chaos reigns, Haiti’s law enforcement and prisons will remain dysfunctional.
”Consequently, extraditing such criminals to a country in a state of institutional decay would be an act of blatant irresponsibility, a gesture that the very spirit of republican fraternity, at the heart of the American nation, cannot condone. This is especially true given that these oligarchs have been able to take advantage of the technological infrastructure, communications networks, financing, and weaponry of the United States of America—a friendly country,” he told Rubio.
He said the impunity for these crimes, planned on American soil and then committed on Haitian soil, “tarnishes your nation’s reputation and further weakens the sovereignty of Haiti, which nevertheless aspires to recover with dignity.
”This letter is not a call for interference, but a call for decency and justice. It is the expression of a Haitian youth standing firm, rejecting inevitability, but knowing that they will need time, peace, and loyal and good-faith allies to reconquer and then rebuild their free homeland.
”This letter is also an exhortation to a historic-ally to finally understand the extent of the trauma suffered, and to act in the name of the common good and the principles our two nations have always defended.”
Joverlain said he is hopeful for “every act of solidarity that will allow Haiti to finally emerge from the shadows and march proudly towards its rebirth”. (CMC)
