Miami (Clarity Times): December 20, 2023 – A U.S. federal court sentenced former Haitian senator Joseph Joel John to life imprisonment on Tuesday for his role in the 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. Dressed in a prison jumpsuit, John stated that his original intent was to bring the president to justice for mismanaging the country but claimed he was forced into participating in the assassination by other conspirators under threat.
Speaking in French, John pleaded for leniency before the judge, apologizing to Moïse’s family and the Haitian people. Having previously admitted to providing vehicles and collaborating with other plotters, John becomes the third person sentenced in the U.S. in connection with this case, which has led to the arrest of 11 individuals.
The assassination of Moïse plunged Haiti into chaos, with escalating gang violence now controlling 80% of the capital. With no elected president since 2016, the U.N. Security Council approved a Kenya-led multinational mission in October to assist Haitian police in response to the ongoing crisis.
