Haitian president’s widow vows to fight for the weakest

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Martine Moïse, widow of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, assassinated two months ago, promised Tuesday to continue her husband’s fight to favor the weakest.

In a series of messages on Twitter, Martine Moïse, who has advanced her intentions to run in the next presidential elections, said that, with the assassination, “the Haitian people lost the leader who was changing the conditions” of life of the population.

Read also: Check out our coverage on Haiti

“The struggle is not political, it is economical. That cannot end here. We will honor the memory of President Jovenel, we will continue to fight so that the sun shines for the weakest,” she said.

In another message, the first lady also called for “justice” for her husband, who was shot dead on July 7, in an attack perpetrated by a commando of mercenaries, mostly Colombians, who entered the president’s residence without encountering resistance from the security forces, in an attack in which Martine Moise was seriously wounded.

Haitian Prime Minister Ariel Henry also called for justice and promised that “this crime will not go unpunished” via Twitter.

“My government is determined that the president will get justice and that the killers will go to trial as required by law,” said Henry, who in the absence of a president is the highest authority in the country.

According to the latest police data, 44 people are in custody, among them 12 members of that institution, 18 Colombians, mostly retired military personnel, and six Haitians, three of them naturalized US citizens.

Among those arrested is the doctor Christian Emmanuel Sanon, identified by the police as the main mastermind of the operation.

Other alleged masterminds of the assassination are fugitives, former senator John Joel Joseph, former judge Windelle Coq Thélot and former official Joseph Felix Badio.