Haiti ex-senator pleads guilty in US to conspiracy over president's murder
Jamaica ObserverOct 10, 2023
In a U.S. court on Tuesday, former Haitian senator Joseph Joel John pleaded guilty in Miami for his role in the killing of Haiti's president, Jovenel Moise, who was slain in 2021.
The case is being heard in US federal court. John is now the third of 11 defendants to plead guilty in connection with a plot to kill Moise.
This case is clear-cut from the perspective of US law. John is the third defendant charged with the July 2021 murder of President Moise at his home outside of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Due to the fact that the murder plot was organized in Florida, which has a sizable Haitian diaspora, the US has jurisdiction over the case. Along with his other defendants, the former senator from Haiti will probably spend significant time in prison.
This case goes far beyond the interest of the US or the former Moise administration. After President Moise was assassinated two years ago, violent gangs seized control of significant portions of the island and carried out murders, kidnappings, and gang rapes — plunging Haiti into chaos. This is a vital puzzle piece towards restoring order, democracy, and justice to the Caribbean nation as a whole.
There is a 50% chance that Haiti will not become an upper middle-income country before Jan. 1, 2050, according to the Metaculus prediction community.