Haiti's president alleges coup conspiracy, says 20 arrested
Haitian President Jovenel Moïse says police have arrested more than 20 people he accused of trying to kill him and overthrow his government, including a Supreme Court judge who has the support of opposition leaders demanding that Moïse step down
By EVENS SANON ASSOCIATED PRESS
February 7, 2021, 8:33 PM
• 4 min read
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Haitian President Jovenel Moïse announced Sunday that police have arrested more than 20 people he accused of trying to kill him and overthrow his government, including a Supreme Court judge who has the support of opposition leaders demanding that Moïse step down.
Moïse spoke at Haiti’s airport in Port-au-Prince, flanked by the country’s prime minister and the police chief as he prepared to leave for the southern coastal town of Jacmel for the opening ceremony of its yearly carnival, which is being held amid the pandemic.
“There was an attempt on my life,” he said.
Moïse said the alleged plot began Nov. 20 but did not provide further details or any evidence except to say among the people arrested is a judge and an inspector general with the police. Moïse then said other high-ranking officials would provide more information.
Prime Minister Joseph Joute said later in the day that authorities found several weapons and a speech that Supreme Court Judge Yvickel Dabrézil had allegedly prepared if he were to become provisional president. Dabrézil is one of three judges that the opposition favors as a potential transitional president.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Rockefeller Vincent accused the inspector general of being in touch with high-ranking security officials at the National Palace over an alleged plot to have the president arrested.
André Michel, one of Haiti's top opposition leaders, held a press conference hours after the arrests and called for civil disobedience and demanded that Moïse be arrested. Michel, an attorney, said it was illegal to arrest Dabrézil because he has automatic immunity.
Reynold Georges, an attorney who once worked as a consultant for Moïse's administration but has since joined the opposition, denounced the arrests in an interview with radio station Zenith FM.
“We ask for his release immediately,” he said of Dabrézil, adding that the court system should shut down until he's free.
Georges also called on people to rise up against Moïse.
Also arrested was Police General Inspector Antoinette Gauthier, according to a statement from the Young Bar Association of Port-au-Prince, which accused Moïse's administration of sowing terror and said Sunday's actions should not be tolerated.
The arrests come on the day that opposition leaders claim Moïse should resign, saying that his term ends on Sunday. Moïse has repeatedly stated that his five-year term ends in February 2022. Former President Michel Martelly’s term ended in 2016, but a chaotic election forced the appointment of a provisional president for one year until Moïse was sworn in in 2017.
The opposition has organized recent protests demanding that Moïse step down, and normally congested streets in Haiti’s capital and elsewhere remained empty on Sunday except for some 100 protesters who gathered in Port-au-Prince and clashed with police. Historians noted that exactly 35 years ago, former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier and his wife fled Haiti with help from the U.S. government amid a popular uprising. Duvalier died in 2014.
Meanwhile, Moïse appears to have the support of the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden. Ned Price, a U.S. State Department spokesman, said Friday that the U.S. has urged Haiti to organize free and fair elections so that Parliament can resume operations, adding that a new elected president should succeed Moïse when his terms ends in February 2022.
Moïse is currently ruling by decree after dissolving a majority of Parliament in January 2020 after no legislative elections were held. He is planning an upcoming constitutional referendum in April that critics say could award him more power, while general elections are scheduled for later this year.
After arriving in Jacmel, Moïse broadcast an address that lasted more than an hour. He spoke largely about the infrastructure projects that his administration has accomplished, but also called on the opposition to work with him.
“It's not too late,” he said, rejecting accusations that he is on his way to becoming a dictator. “I’m not a dictator. Dictators are people who take power and don’t know when they’re leaving. I know my mandate ends on Feb. 7, 2022.”
Haiti says security forces prevented coup attempt | DW | 08.02.2021
Haiti says security forces prevented coup attempt
Police say they seized weapons and cash after an alleged attempt on the president's life. More than 20 people, including a top judge and police official, have been arrested.
Haiti's president, Jovenel Moise, announced on Sunday that his security officers had thwarted an attempted attack on his life. About 23 people, including a Supreme Court judge and a top police official, were arrested for what he described as an attempted coup.
Leon Charles, the director of Haiti's national police force, said officers had seized cash and several weapons, including assault rifles, an Uzi submachine gun, pistols and machetes from the arrested people.
"These people had contacted national palace security officials, high-ranking officers at the national palace whose mission was to arrest the president… and also to facilitate the installation of a new president," said prime minister Joseph Jouthe.
The alleged coup attempt followed a call by Haiti's opposition leaders to replace Moise with one of the sitting Supreme Court judges. The opposition accused Moise of being authoritarian and pushing Haiti towards economic chaos.
Earlier in the day, anti-government protesters clashed with the police in Port-Au-Prince.
According to Haiti's constitution, presidential terms last for five years. In the presidential election of October 2015, Moise was elected, but the election was annulled because of fraud. In 2016, another round of elections were held, which was again won by Moise and he was sworn in on February 7, 2017.
Opposition leaders claim that Moise's term began in February 2016 and ended this Sunday. Meanwhile, Moise and his supporters claim 2017 as the year of his ascent. The president has said that he will hand over power to the winner of the elections in October 2021 and will not step down till his term expires in February 2022.
On Friday, the US government urged Haitians to resolve the crisis. Washington said that a new elected president should succeed Moise "when his term ends on February 2, 2022."
am/aw (dpa, Reuters, AFP)
Haitian President Jovenel Moïse says police have arrested more than 20 people he accused of trying to kill him and overthrow his government, including a Supreme Court judge who has the support of opposition leaders demanding that Moïse step down
By EVENS SANON ASSOCIATED PRESS
February 7, 2021, 8:33 PM
• 4 min read
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Haitian President Jovenel Moïse announced Sunday that police have arrested more than 20 people he accused of trying to kill him and overthrow his government, including a Supreme Court judge who has the support of opposition leaders demanding that Moïse step down.
Moïse spoke at Haiti’s airport in Port-au-Prince, flanked by the country’s prime minister and the police chief as he prepared to leave for the southern coastal town of Jacmel for the opening ceremony of its yearly carnival, which is being held amid the pandemic.
“There was an attempt on my life,” he said.
Moïse said the alleged plot began Nov. 20 but did not provide further details or any evidence except to say among the people arrested is a judge and an inspector general with the police. Moïse then said other high-ranking officials would provide more information.
Prime Minister Joseph Joute said later in the day that authorities found several weapons and a speech that Supreme Court Judge Yvickel Dabrézil had allegedly prepared if he were to become provisional president. Dabrézil is one of three judges that the opposition favors as a potential transitional president.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Rockefeller Vincent accused the inspector general of being in touch with high-ranking security officials at the National Palace over an alleged plot to have the president arrested.
André Michel, one of Haiti's top opposition leaders, held a press conference hours after the arrests and called for civil disobedience and demanded that Moïse be arrested. Michel, an attorney, said it was illegal to arrest Dabrézil because he has automatic immunity.
Reynold Georges, an attorney who once worked as a consultant for Moïse's administration but has since joined the opposition, denounced the arrests in an interview with radio station Zenith FM.
“We ask for his release immediately,” he said of Dabrézil, adding that the court system should shut down until he's free.
Georges also called on people to rise up against Moïse.
Also arrested was Police General Inspector Antoinette Gauthier, according to a statement from the Young Bar Association of Port-au-Prince, which accused Moïse's administration of sowing terror and said Sunday's actions should not be tolerated.
The arrests come on the day that opposition leaders claim Moïse should resign, saying that his term ends on Sunday. Moïse has repeatedly stated that his five-year term ends in February 2022. Former President Michel Martelly’s term ended in 2016, but a chaotic election forced the appointment of a provisional president for one year until Moïse was sworn in in 2017.
The opposition has organized recent protests demanding that Moïse step down, and normally congested streets in Haiti’s capital and elsewhere remained empty on Sunday except for some 100 protesters who gathered in Port-au-Prince and clashed with police. Historians noted that exactly 35 years ago, former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier and his wife fled Haiti with help from the U.S. government amid a popular uprising. Duvalier died in 2014.
Meanwhile, Moïse appears to have the support of the administration of U.S. President Joe Biden. Ned Price, a U.S. State Department spokesman, said Friday that the U.S. has urged Haiti to organize free and fair elections so that Parliament can resume operations, adding that a new elected president should succeed Moïse when his terms ends in February 2022.
Moïse is currently ruling by decree after dissolving a majority of Parliament in January 2020 after no legislative elections were held. He is planning an upcoming constitutional referendum in April that critics say could award him more power, while general elections are scheduled for later this year.
After arriving in Jacmel, Moïse broadcast an address that lasted more than an hour. He spoke largely about the infrastructure projects that his administration has accomplished, but also called on the opposition to work with him.
“It's not too late,” he said, rejecting accusations that he is on his way to becoming a dictator. “I’m not a dictator. Dictators are people who take power and don’t know when they’re leaving. I know my mandate ends on Feb. 7, 2022.”
Haiti says security forces prevented coup attempt | DW | 08.02.2021
Haiti says security forces prevented coup attempt
Police say they seized weapons and cash after an alleged attempt on the president's life. More than 20 people, including a top judge and police official, have been arrested.
Haiti's president, Jovenel Moise, announced on Sunday that his security officers had thwarted an attempted attack on his life. About 23 people, including a Supreme Court judge and a top police official, were arrested for what he described as an attempted coup.
Leon Charles, the director of Haiti's national police force, said officers had seized cash and several weapons, including assault rifles, an Uzi submachine gun, pistols and machetes from the arrested people.
"These people had contacted national palace security officials, high-ranking officers at the national palace whose mission was to arrest the president… and also to facilitate the installation of a new president," said prime minister Joseph Jouthe.
The alleged coup attempt followed a call by Haiti's opposition leaders to replace Moise with one of the sitting Supreme Court judges. The opposition accused Moise of being authoritarian and pushing Haiti towards economic chaos.
Earlier in the day, anti-government protesters clashed with the police in Port-Au-Prince.
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Haiti struggles 10 years after catastrophic earthquake
A country in ruins
On January 12, 2010, shortly before 5 p.m., a 7.0 magnitude earthquake hit the Caribbean island nation of Haiti. The destruction was catastrophic. In some areas, 90% of buildings collapsed. At least 200,000 people were killed and more than a million were made homeless. It caused $6.6 billion (€5.9 billion) worth of damage – more than the country's entire gross domestic product.
According to Haiti's constitution, presidential terms last for five years. In the presidential election of October 2015, Moise was elected, but the election was annulled because of fraud. In 2016, another round of elections were held, which was again won by Moise and he was sworn in on February 7, 2017.
Opposition leaders claim that Moise's term began in February 2016 and ended this Sunday. Meanwhile, Moise and his supporters claim 2017 as the year of his ascent. The president has said that he will hand over power to the winner of the elections in October 2021 and will not step down till his term expires in February 2022.
On Friday, the US government urged Haitians to resolve the crisis. Washington said that a new elected president should succeed Moise "when his term ends on February 2, 2022."
am/aw (dpa, Reuters, AFP)
