Name? Ariel Henry
Westphalian identity? Haitian
Age? 71
Why is he in the news? Earlier this year, Henry took over as the Haitian Prime Minister and top official following the assassination of President, Jovenel Moïse. As investigations into the assassination were pursued, Port-au-Prince Chief Prosecutor, Benford Claude, requested that Henry be investigated and barred from leaving the country for suspected involvement. Claude and the Haitian Justice Minister, Rockefeller Vincent, were both dismissed by Henry.
Why do we care? For starters, Haiti is not particularly known for its extraordinary judicial system or for holding corrupt public officials accountable. The move by Henry to remove those who had the power to investigate him reduces some chance of prosecution. This makes him seem less legitimate, increasingly corrupt, and possibly guilty in the plot that killed Moïse, none of which is good for the country’s political transitional period.
Why should you care? Over the past few months, Haiti has seen its President assassinated, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, and a damaging tropical storm. Now the highest Haitian official, Ariel Henry, is thought to be involved in the assassination of Jovenel Moïse. In the case that Henry is prosecuted (very rare) or even if he isn’t, instability from politicised gangs remains a constant possibility. But due to the rare possibility, Henry is justly investigated, you should care 4/10 about Haiti’s recent developments.
Who else cares? After the assassination, the Core Group, a group of ambassadors from Brazil, Germany, USA, France, EU, Canada, and Spain, released a statement calling for “full light [to] be shed on the assassination”. If this situation with Henry continues or escalates, the November elections to take place may be in jeopardy.
Any further comments? Prior to being fired, Claude invited Henry to talk about his phone activities in which he was found speaking to one of the assassination suspects- two hours after the murder of Moïse.
