More than twenty people, including Pierre Richard Duplan, former departmental delegate for the West, Fednel Monchéry, former director general of the Ministry of the Interior, and Jimmy Chérizier, nicknamed “Barbecue”, are being sent to criminal court, without a jury, for their alleged involvement in the La Saline massacre.
This decision follows a referral order issued this month by investigating judge Jean Wilner Morin, Loop Haiti has learned.
On the night of November 12-13, 2018, individuals armed with automatic weapons, fists and bladed weapons attacked residents of several neighborhoods in La Saline, causing dozens of deaths, the burning of several houses and the rape of many women and young girls.
Also among the accused are Hervé Bonnet Barthélémy, Léonel Altona (alias “Bout Janjan”), Chéry Christ-Roi (alias “Chrisla”) and Pyram Félix (alias “Toutou Number One”). All are accused of being involved in the La Saline massacre.
“Léonel Altonal alias Bout Jeanjean told the investigating office that at the time of the massacre at La Saline he was already in prison, this massacre took place because La Saline was against the power of the PHTK, many movements were organized against the power in place since La Saline was in the opposition”, we can read in the judge’s order.
Judge Morin’s order specifies that Bout Jeanjean persisted in his statement before the investigating magistrate that the Massacre at La Saline was a state massacre, many PHTK political leaders have their names cited as intellectual authors of the said massacre, such as Fednel Monchery, former Director of the Ministry of the Interior and Local Authorities and Joseph Pierre Richard Duplan, former Departmental Delegate of the West.
“Bout Jeanjean went on to tell the investigating office that Pyram Junior, known as Ti Junior, was one of the key players in the massacre at La Saline, he died at La Saline, he was a close ally of Fednel Monchery and Joseph Pierre Richard Duplan,” we read.
According to Judge Morin’s order, since the start of the investigation until now, Fednel Monchery has never once appeared before the judicial authorities to assert his rights, despite several invitations he received.
For his part, Joseph Pierre Richard Duplan was questioned about the day of October 3, 2018, a day he was surprised by more than one person, as a person who had been to rue St Martin to distribute weapons to armed groups, he answered for the investigating magistrate that he does not remember where he was that day, he would have to go and review his diary to remember.
Note that following denunciations from human rights organizations, such as the RNDDH and the FJKL, the American Treasury Department sanctioned these individuals on December 10, 2020.
The massacre of La Saline, according to the statements of the victims, their close relatives and the police report, finds its explanation in the expansion of gangs encouraged and used by politicians of all ranks and all kinds according to their political interest. These politicians are mostly opposition activists or government officials sometimes operating through corrupt police officers in office or ex-police officers.
Consult the order of the investigating judge Jean Wilner Morin by following this lien.
