Haiti Asks UN for Help in Investigation of President's Assassination

PORT-AU-PRINCE (Sputnik) - The Haitian government has appealed to the United Nations to receive help in investigating the assassination of the country's President Jovenel Moise, the Haitian Embassy in the Dominican Republic said in a statement.

"The assistance requested from the world organisation will represent, on the one hand, the formation of an international commission of inquiry to support the work of national authorities", the Haitian Embassy said.

The letter from the Haitian Foreign Ministry to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres requested the creation of a special court to prosecute the alleged killers and masterminds, citing a similar act in 2005 following a terrorist attack in Lebanon that killed 22 people, including Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Pallbearers in military attire carry the coffin holding the body of late Haitian President Jovenel Moise after he was shot dead at his home in Port-au-Prince earlier this month, in Cap-Haitien, July 23, 2021. REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo

© REUTERS / RICARDO ARDUENGO

The Haitian Foreign Ministry called the murder of the head of state an international crime since citizens of several countries ostensibly participated in its organisation, financing, and execution.

Attorney Peguy Jean of the Port-au-Prince Bar said no judge has taken up the case so far. Two justices of the peace and two clerks of the court were forced into hiding after threats against them aimed at amending the preliminary court documents.

A few days after the assassination, the former prime minister under ex-President Michel Martelly, Laurent Lamothe, asked to refer the case to the International Court of Justice. The deceased president's wife, Martine Moise, also appealed to the UN Security Council for help in the investigation.

Moise was shot dead at his residence in the early hours of 7 July. His wife was wounded and had to receive treatment at an American hospital.

Activists rally outside the US State Department against US involvement in Haiti, including the potential deployment of US troops after the assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise

© Morgan Artyukhina

The Haitian authorities have already detained more than 40 people, including 18 Colombian citizens and five US citizens, as well as four police officers who were allegedly involved in this operation. The current head of the Haitian government, Ariel Henry, publicly doubted that those responsible were among those detained.