Some members of Haiti’s opposition say they will not support Prime Minister-designate Ariel Henry, whom President Jovenel Moise named to the position a day before he was assassinated. Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph has led the country since the president was killed inside his private residence in the early hours of July 7.  On Saturday, the influential Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph gives a press conference, July 19, 2021.It was not clear when Joseph would step down.  Opposition rejects CORE group, PM designate 
 
Former Senator Serge Jean Louis of the Fron Nasyonal Demokrasi (FND) party rejected outright the CORE group’s statement Monday.  “I am almost sure that no one in the opposition supports this because it’s a road to nowhere. This is just another PHTK government (the party of Moise) – with the same orientation,” he told VOA.    Lawyer Caleb Jean Baptiste, who heads a legal group dedicated to defending prisoners and human rights, also rejected the CORE group statement.    “The CORE group is not Dessalines (Haitian revolutionary war hero), it is not Henry Christophe (Haitian revolutionary hero), it is not Haitian, they are interfering in our country, they are violating the OAS charter, they are violating all the agreements that we have signed and ratified, the CORE group does not have the right to do that,” Jean Baptiste told VOA.  VOA Creole reached out to both Henry and Joseph for comment but did not get a response.   Funeral preparations Meanwhile, in Cape Haitian, preparations for Moise’s funeral on Friday are under way. VOA Creole’s reporter in the northern city saw stands being built to accommodate VIPs who will be attending the official ceremony on Friday.  VOA also visited the cemetery where the president will be laid to rest next to his father, Etienne Moise, who passed away on October 4, 2020. It was the president’s desire to be buried next to his father, his family said.    First lady Martine Moise returned to Haiti on Saturday from Miami, where she was treated for wounds sustained during the attack that resulted in her husband’s death. Dressed in black, protected by an anti-bullet vest and with her arm in a sling. She was greeted at the airport by Joseph, with whom she has been in frequent contact since the assassination.  
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Cuban journalists covering the most serious protests against the communist government in decades have been arrested, subjected to police surveillance and intimidated by the authorities.At least 47 journalists have been arrested, according to the Cuban Institute for the Freedom of Expression and the Press (ICLEP), an organization that supports opposition media on the island. When VOA spoke with its executive director, Normando Hernández González, on July 15, he said he had just heard of the arrest of another journalist and wanted to get the news out as soon as possible.Later, Hernandez said the arrest was symptomatic of how the Cuban government is trying to “criminalize our profession.”The protests have resulted in dozens of arrests, one confirmed fatality and three days of disruption to Cuba’s shaky internet service, which was used to organize rallies and disseminate footage in an unprecedented challenge to the ruling Community Party and President Manuel Díaz-Canel.Authorities said the protests were a result of U.S.-financed “counter-revolutionaries” exploiting economic hardship caused by sanctions. Cuban Government Holds Mass Rally in Havana After ProtestsGovernment supporters gather on Havana seafront boulevard before dawn to wave Cuban flags and photos of late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and his brother RaulReporters told VOA that the police have seized computers and telephones, cut access to the internet, or placed them under house arrest.IntimidationOne of those journalists — Camila Acosta — spent five days in custody after being arrested in Havana on July 12 after covering demonstrations in the Cuban capital. The journalist was released Friday and placed under house arrest.  Spanish Daily ‘Highly Concerned’ About Reporter’s Arrest in CubaJournalist covering mass protests in Cuba for Spanish paper arrested on state security chargesPolice told the 28-year-old that for the next six months she can leave her house only for essential journeys, such as shopping or health reasons, while they investigate her case.”They tried to get me to sign a document saying I was guilty of public disorder but I refused. I am guilty of nothing. I was just doing my job as a journalist, reporting on demonstrations,” Acosta told VOA by telephone from her home in Havana.”I used my time inside police cells to interview people, about one hour a day. I suppose I was destined to do this job. I saw lots of people inside who were detained over the protests, some had been beaten, even children.”Acosta, who works for the Spanish daily ABC and CubaNet, a pro-opposition newsletter, claimed police employed psychological tactics against her.”They tried to intimidate me and put psychological pressure on me. They tried to tell me that I am not a real journalist. I said that I studied journalism at Havana University,” she said. ”They tried to tell me that I was not an important person and that my family did not care about me.”Acosta said that police even tried to persuade her that she should give up journalism.”When they said I should give up journalism, I just laughed at them. This is what I do. I am not going to give up reporting,” she said.”I was not scared, but I was worried about my family. I was also worried for many people who have been arrested and just disappeared. It is a worrying situation.”The journalist says her laptop, mobile phone, a tablet and a hard disc were taken by police, but authorities did not cut off the internet at her home.House arrestAlso under house arrest is Alberto Corzo, the 51-year-old director of ICLEP. Police raided his home on July 15 and detained Corzo for 24 hours.”My arrest was pretty traumatic. My 10-year-old son Cesar has been suffering from bullying from people in my town who are close to the regime. So when the police came, he had a nervous attack,” Corzo told VOA from his home in Matanzas province of Cuba.When protests started, Corzo said, he telephoned contacts to find out what was happening in Havana and other cities.”I was just doing my job as a journalist, but they accused me of inciting the protests. My telephone is tapped so they know who I was talking to,” he said.Corzo says he was interrogated twice during his 24 hours in police custody.”They try to intimidate anyone who is involved in independent journalism. Some people do not write just about politics but about social issues, but they are also targeted,” Corzo said.”Despite what has happened — and I am pretty upset about it — I will never give up the profession of journalism.”Police observationOther independent journalists, like Juan Manuel Moreno Borrego from the local news website Amanecer Habanero, have been under police observation since the protests started. ”This past week has been very intense. We are observing a lot of political and social tension in the capital. I know lots of journalists who are under police surveillance,” he told VOA via social media after repeated attempts to contact him by telephone failed.The journalist sent photos showing a police guard lounging outside his house.Moreno said despite the pressure from the Cuban government, most reporters were determined to preserve the “tools of their trade” like computers and telephones. ”Up to now, they have not been able to take these off us because we have a policy to preserve these, using strategies to prevent this from happening,” he said. ”But the internet has been our weak point, as you have discovered, and communication is very difficult. Navigating across social media is practically impossible.”Social media targetedThose who use social media to share news and commentary were among those targeted.Dina Stars, a 25-year-old whose YouTube page includes songs about freedom from what she calls state oppression, and comments on the protests, was arrested live on television on July 13 while being interviewed by the Spanish television channel Cuatro.”They didn’t torture me. I am on the side of truth,” she told her 40,000 subscribers after her release the following day. “They arrested me for promoting the protests.”US fundingCuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez told a press conference that media working for the U.S. government, which funds a number of opposition media websites, were driving the protests Reuters reported. The website CubaNet makes no secret of its U.S. government funding. It received $300,000 from USAID in 2020 and has 30 correspondents in Cuba whom the website says offer independent reporting.  The site’s director Hugo Landa said that since the protests, at least four of those have been detained, including Acosta.  “Many of our journalists could not leave their homes because the State Security Police put agents at their doors and forbade them to exit,” he told VOA.Moreno, of Amanecer Habanero, says the situation is still tense, adding, “We are expecting another uprising.” 
 
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Haiti’s acting prime minister says he is stepping down to make way for a political challenger who has more international backing.Claude Joseph, who has been acting prime minister since the assassination of President Jovenel Moise on July 7, told the Washington Post he was going to leave office.Ariel Henry, a 71-year-old neurosurgeon will take his place.”Everyone who knows me knows that I am not interested in this battle, or in any kind of power grab,” Joseph told the Post. “The president was a friend to me. I am just interested in seeing justice for him.”When Joseph would step down was unclear.“Negotiations are still in course,” Haiti Elections Minister Mathias Pierre said, according to the Associated Press. He said Joseph would go back to being minister of foreign affairs.Moise was gunned down when several assassins raided his home in Port-au-Prince.
 
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Germany’s Olympic soccer team walked off the field during a preparation match for the Tokyo Games on Saturday in response to alleged racist abuse from an opposing Honduras player toward German defender Jordan Torunarigha. The players left the field together with five minutes remaining in the game after Torunarigha was “racially insulted,” the German soccer federation said on Twitter. “If one of our players is racially abused, it’s not an option for us to keep playing,” Germany coach Stefan Kuntz said. “It was hard to get him in, he was terribly upset because he said he was repeatedly racially abused,” Kuntz continued. “For us it’s clear, this violates our values, we cannot tolerate it. We’ll take our player completely under our protection.” Torunarigha’s club, Hertha Berlin, responded by saying “that’s the only correct decision!” The score was 1-1 when the German players walked off. “After the situation calmed down a bit, the whole Honduras team came over to us on the bench and apologized,” Kuntz said. “That was the end of the matter for us.” The Honduran soccer federation said on Twitter that the game was abandoned in the 87th minute “due to the fact that a German player alleged a supposed racist insult on the part of a Honduran national team player.” The Honduran federation said the “situation occurred due to a misunderstanding on the field of play.” Germany captain Maximilian Arnold said the team discussed taking the matter further but decided against it. “We made a correct statement, we made the right decisions and acted correctly. It was also Jordan’s wish. He said that we should leave it at that,” Arnold said. The friendly game in Wakayama, Japan was Germany’s last preparation match before it plays Brazil in Yokohama on Thursday. Kuntz’ team also plays Saudi Arabia on July 25 and Ivory Coast on July 28 in Group D. The 23-year-old Torunarigha, who is the son of former player Ojokojo Torunarigha of Nigeria, has faced racist abuse before. He was targeted with monkey chants by some Schalke fans in a German Cup game on Feb. 4, 2020. Schalke was fined $54,600 for its supporters’ abuse.  
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Martine Moise, the wife of Haiti’s assassinated president who was injured in the July 7 attack at their private home, returned to the Caribbean nation on Saturday following her release from a Miami hospital.Her arrival was unannounced and surprised many in the country of more than 11 million people still reeling from the assassination of Jovenel Moise in a raid authorities say involved Haitians, Haitian Americans and former Colombian soldiers.Martine Moise disembarked the flight at the Port-au-Prince airport wearing a black dress, a black bulletproof vest and a black face mask. Her right arm was in a black sling as she slowly walked down the steps of what appeared to be a private plane. She was greeted by interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph and other officials.Earlier this week, she tweeted from the Miami hospital that she could not believe her husband was gone “without saying a last word. This pain will never pass.”On Friday, government officials announced that Jovenel Moise’s funeral would be on July 23 in the northern Haitian city of Cap-Haitien and that his wife was expected to attend.Group: Let chosen PM form governmentEarlier Saturday a key group of international diplomats issued a statement urging Ariel Henry, the designated prime minister, to form a government following Moise’s killing.Joseph has been leading Haiti with the backing of police and the military even though Moise had announced Joseph’s replacement a day before he was killed.Joseph and his allies argue that Henry was never sworn in, though he pledged to work with him and with Joseph Lambert, the head of Haiti’s inactive Senate.The statement was issued by the Core Group, which is made up of ambassadors from Germany, Brazil, Canada, Spain, the U.S., France, the European Union and representatives from the United Nations and the Organization of American States.The group called for the creation of “a consensual and inclusive government.””To this end, it strongly encourages the designated Prime Minister Ariel Henry to continue the mission entrusted to him to form such a government,” the group said.U.S. officials could not be immediately reached for comment. A U.N. spokesman declined comment except to say that the U.N. is part of the group that issued the statement. An OAS spokesman said: “For the moment, there is nothing further to say other than what the statement says.”Henry and spokespeople for Joseph did not immediately return messages for comment.Robert Fatton, a Haitian politics expert at the University of Virginia, said the statement was very confusing, especially after the U.N. representative had said that Joseph was in charge.The question of who should take over has been complicated by the fact Haiti’s parliament has not been functioning because a lack of elections meant most members’ terms had expired. And the head of the Supreme Court recently died of COVID-19.
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Former Haitian justice ministry official Joseph Felix Badio may have ordered the assassination of Haiti’s President Jovenel Moise, the head of Colombia’s national police has said, citing a preliminary investigation into the killing. Moise was shot dead at his private residence in a suburb of Port-au-Prince before dawn on July 7.An investigation by Haitian and Colombian authorities, alongside Interpol, into Moise’s killing has revealed that Badio appeared to have given an order for the assassination three days before the attack, General Jorge Vargas said Friday at a news conference and in an audio message sent to news outlets by the police.It was not immediately possible to reach Badio for comment. His whereabouts are unknown.According to Vargas, the investigation found that Badio had ordered former Colombian soldiers Duberney Capador and German Rivera to kill Moise. The men had initially been contacted to carry out security services.”Several days before, apparently three, Joseph Felix Badio, who was a former official of [Haiti’s] ministry of justice, who worked in the anti-corruption unit with the general intelligence service, told Capador and Rivera that they had to assassinate the president of Haiti,” Vargas said.Vargas did not provide proof or give more details about where the information came from.Capador was killed and Rivera was captured by Haiti police in the aftermath of Moise’s killing, authorities have said.Alleged mastermindOn Sunday, Haitian authorities detained Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 63, widely described as a Florida-based doctor, and accused him of being one of the masterminds behind the killing.Former Haitian Senator John Joel Joseph is being sought by police after Haiti’s National Police Chief Leon Charles identified him as a key player in the plot, while Dimitri Herard, the head of palace security for Moise, has been arrested.”This is a big plot. A lot of people are part of it,” Haiti’s Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph said in a news conference. “I am determined to move the investigation forward.”The group of assassins included 26 Colombians and two Haitian Americans, according to Haitian authorities. Eighteen of the Colombians have been captured, while five are on the run and three were killed.Many of the Colombians accused of involvement in the assassination went to the country as bodyguards, Colombian President Ivan Duque said Thursday. That has been confirmed by relatives and colleagues of some of the detained Colombians.”We are assisting in all the support tasks for the interviews that are being carried out with the captured Colombians,” Vargas said.Colombia will send a consular mission to Haiti as soon as it is approved by the Caribbean nation, Colombian Vice President and Foreign Minister Marta Lucia Ramirez told journalists on Friday, to meet with the detained Colombians, ensure their rights are being respected, and move ahead with the repatriation of the remains of the deceased Colombians.The ministry is in daily contact with the families of the dead and detained, Ramirez added.
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Raul Castro was among thousands who attended a government-organized rally in Havana on Saturday to denounce the U.S. trade embargo and reaffirm their support for Cuba’s revolution, a week after unprecedented protests rocked the communist-run country.Government supporters gathered on the city’s seafront boulevard before dawn to wave Cuban flags and photos of late revolutionary leader Fidel Castro and his brother Raul. The latter retired as Communist Party leader in April but promised to continue fighting for the revolution as a “foot soldier.”The rally was a reaction to demonstrations that erupted nationwide last Sunday amid widespread shortages of basic goods, demands for political rights and the island nation’s worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic.The government admitted some shortcomings this week but mostly blamed the protests on U.S.-financed “counter-revolutionaries” exploiting economic hardship caused by U.S. sanctions.President Miguel Diaz-Canel, who also heads the Communist Party, told the crowd that Cuba’s “enemy has once again thrown itself into destroying citizens’ sacred unity and tranquility.”He said it was no small matter to call a rally as the country saw increasing numbers of COVID cases: “We convened you to denounce once more the blockade, the aggression and terror.”‘Revolution will continue’Authorities said similar rallies were held nationwide.”This revolution will continue for a long time,” said Margaritza Arteaga, a state social worker who attended the rally in Havana.Workers had been convened by neighborhood block committees, known as the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution, she said, and a state bus had picked her up at 4 a.m.Shortly before the rally in Havana officially began, authorities removed a man shouting anti-government slogans including “freedom” from the crowd.The number of those detained during or after protests has grown as new reports trickle in amid irregular outages in internet and messaging applications on the island, where the state has a monopoly on telecommunications.The latest tally from exiled rights group Cubalex put those detained at 450, although some have since been released. Activists have accused authorities of repression as some videos have emerged on social media of police beating protesters.The government has not yet given official figures for those detained although it has said it arrested those it suspected of instigating unpatriotic unrest or of carrying out vandalism. State television has broadcast images of people looting Cuba’s controversial dollar stores and overturning empty police cars.
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U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet is calling on Cuban authorities to release those arrested during mass demonstrations protesting the government’s failed economic policies.  These are the biggest anti-government demonstrations Cuba has seen for decades.  Thousands of people have come out to vent their anger at government policies, which have led to the economic collapse of this Caribbean island state.  Anti-government activists in Cuba estimate more than 100 protesters have been arrested during the weeklong demonstrations.  U.N. rights chief Michelle Bachelet is calling for the prompt release of those detained.Her spokeswoman, Liz Throssell, says Bachelet deplores the government arrest of people for exercising their rights to freedom of peaceful assembly, or freedom of opinion and expression.   “It is particularly worrying that these include individuals allegedly held incommunicado and people whose whereabouts are unknown,” Throssellsaid. “We are also very concerned at the alleged use of excessive force against demonstrators in Cuba and deeply regret the death of one protester in Havana.  It is important that there is an independent, transparent, effective investigation, and that those responsible are held accountable.”   Miguel Diaz-Canel became president of Cuba in 2018.  He is the first person other than the Castro brothers, Fidel, and Raoul, to rule this communist state in almost 60 years.  The economy under his guidance has taken a battering. People have come out en masse to show their displeasure at high food prices, shortages of medicine and other commodities, and at what they perceive to be government mishandling of the COVID-19 pandemic.  The government blames Cuba’s economic crisis on the decadeslong U.S. embargo. However, experts agree the government’s Soviet-style, centrally planned economy and lack of market reforms must share the blame for stifling the country’s economic growth.     Bachelet is urging the Cuban government to address the protesters’ grievances through dialogue and to respect peoples’ rights to protest peacefully.  She is calling for the Internet and social media, cut off by the government to quell dissent, to be restored.  Bachelet reiterates her appeal for the lifting of unilateral sectoral sanctions, which she says harm human rights, including the right to health.
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A commission composed of representatives of all sectors of Haitian civil society plans to meet Saturday, saying they want to begin the process of naming a new president.Organizers say the group plans to meet with 10 Haitian senators whose terms have not expired. Haiti’s parliament is currently out of session because the terms of most of its members ended before elections could be held to reelect or replace them.One of the organizers of the commission, Ted Saint Dic, said earlier this week that the commission’s effort would not be rushed.“We’re not in a hurry. We want to allow the country to find a way to enter into dialogue and agree on solutions that fundamentally address the biggest preoccupations of the Haitian people,” Saint Dic said.Haiti is facing a power vacuum following the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moise.Several politicians have claimed the right to lead the country, including acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph and Prime Minister-designate Ariel Henry.Joseph assumed power after the death of Moise, however as an acting prime minister he was only in the position temporarily and was set to be replaced by Henry the week of the assassination. That transition did not take place because of Moise’s death.In addition, Haiti’s Senate has nominated Senate President Joseph Lambert to be interim president.Joseph told VOA Creole that “After the president was killed, someone in authority had to step in to take over. Nine days have passed and here we are. That is why I stepped up as interim prime minister to move forward along with the other government ministers.”Referring to himself along with Henry and Lambert, he said, “we have three leaders plus the other sectors — we have to put our heads together to find a solution. That’s what’s important. I am appealing to all sectors of society to unite to resolve this political crisis.”A U.S. delegation that traveled to Haiti earlier this week met with all three politicians claiming the right to lead Haiti.Laura Lochman, the State Department’s acting deputy assistant secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs was part of the U.S. delegation, and told VOA in an exclusive interview Wednesday that the United States will support an inclusive, credible Haitian government.“It’s up to the Haitians to come up with the solution to this political process at this point, so we rely on them and give them all the support that we can to work conclusively, to work together, to form a consensus government,” Lochman said.She said the United States would like to see elections held in Haiti this year.Haiti’s parliament has been out of session since January 2020 when the terms of most of the legislature expired. Elections have not been held to select new members due to mass protests, the coronavirus pandemic and uncontrolled gang violence.Sandra Lemaire, Nike Ching and VOA Creole contributed to this report. 
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Haitian President Jovenel Moise will be buried on July 23 in the northern city of Cape Haitian, a member of the official funeral organization committee said Friday.”We have a logistical team who will evaluate the site where the funeral will be held,” Minister of Culture and Communication Pradel Anriquez, a member of the committee, told reporters during a news conference in Port-au-Prince. A schedule of events will be published soon, he said.Funeral planning committee members include interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph; the ministers of defense, culture and communication, and interior; the director of the Cabinet (chief of staff); the secretary-general of the presidency; and the director-general of the MUPANAH (Musée du Panthéon National Haitien).Anriquez said there are three events planned. On July 20, an official ceremony honoring the life of Moise will be held at the MUPANAH. He said the national palace protocol team is organizing that event.On July 22, the president’s wake will be held, Anriquez said. But he did not provide further details, adding only that “the public funeral of the president of the republic will be held in accordance with the wishes of the Moise family and also in accordance with the law.”First lady Martine Moise is being treated in Miami, Florida, for injuries suffered during the attack that killed her husband.Joseph said Friday that Martine Moise plans to return to Haiti for the funeral. He said that the first lady is in good condition and has been in constant contact with him since she arrived in Miami.Joseph also confirmed that a video message posted earlier this week on Martine Moise’s official Twitter account is authentic, along with subsequent tweets she posted this week of herself lying in a hospital bed.The interim prime minister said the slain president had expressed a desire to be buried next to his father in Haiti’s north. The details were included in an official government decree issued on March 11, 2020, pertaining to the burial of heads of state, Anriquez told reporters.”The Haitian government in its entirety is committed to giving the president a proper funeral,” he said.Ex-president Aristide back in HaitiElsewhere in the capital, a group of supporters of former President Jean Bertrand Aristide took to the streets to welcome him back to Haiti after undergoing treatment for an undisclosed illness in Cuba.Aristide fans waved Haitian flags, white flags, freshly picked tree branches, homemade signs and played traditional festive “rara” music as they waited to see him.”Welcome back, king. We have always said that Haiti is now paying for what happened in 1990, and as long as the constitutional order is not reestablished, the wound will remain. It is time to repair the divisions that exist,” a man who did not give his name told VOA Creole. “We are standing out here in front of the airport to extend our greetings.””The president who truly loved us and was the most capable leader to lead us was removed by the colonists in a coup d’etat. Hopefully, the Haitian people now see clearly what is going on,” another Aristide supporter, who stood on the side of the airport road to welcome the former president back to Haiti, told VOA.Aristide was Haiti’s first democratically elected president after dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier was removed from power in 1986.He governed Haiti from Feb. 7-Sept. 30, 1991, when he was deposed in a military coup. After living in exile in the United States for three years, he returned to lead Haiti in October 1994 until 1996.A year later, he created the Fanmi Lavalas (Lavalas Family) political party. He ran for president as its candidate and won in 2000. (Haiti’s constitution bars heads of state from holding consecutive terms.)In July 2001, Aristide was ousted in another military coup and lived in exile in South Africa until spring 2011, when he was allowed by then-President Michel Martelly to return to Port-au-Prince. He has mostly stayed out of the limelight, but his party remains active in politics.Matiado Vilme in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, contributed to this story.
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At least seven Colombian nationals who were arrested by Haitian authorities in connection with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise received U.S. military or police training.A U.S. official, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the investigation, told VOA Friday that all seven had been members of the Colombian military at the time they received the training.“Individuals had been approved for a variety of training activities held both in Colombia and the United States between 2001-2015,” the official said. “Examples of the types of training received were various types of military leadership and professional development training, emergency medical training, helicopter maintenance, and attendance at seminars on counternarcotics and counterterrorism.”BREAKING: US gvt official tells @VOANews that 7 of 25 individuals alleged to have been involved in the assassination of #Haiti’s President #Moise “previously participated in past US military training & education programs, while previously serving in the #Colombia|n military”— Jeff Seldin (@jseldin) July 16, 2021The official said both the State Department and the Department of Defense are continuing to review their records to see if any additional suspects in the assassination have ties to the U.S.“Their alleged involvement in this incident stands in stark contrast to outstanding conduct and performance of hundreds of thousands of foreign military students that have benefitted from U.S. education training programs over the past 40 years,” the official said.Word that a “small number” of the Colombian nationals in Haitian custody had gotten U.S. training first came Thursday, though a Pentagon spokesperson told VOA that any such training “emphasizes and promotes respect for human rights, compliance with the rule of law, and militaries subordinate to democratically elected civilian leadership.”Moise was shot and killed in the predawn hours of July 7 at his private residence in a wealthy suburb of Port-au-Prince. His wife, Martine, was injured in the attack and is recovering from surgery at a Miami, Florida, hospital.Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph told reporters that he has spoken to the first lady several times and that she is doing well.Haitian National Police Chief Leon Charles said 18 Colombians have been arrested in connection with the assassination.Colombia’s president told a local radio station Thursday that most of the detained Colombians had been duped into thinking they were to provide bodyguard services for the Haitian leader.“Once they were over there,” Ivan Duque said, “the information they were given changed,” and the men ended up as suspects in an assassination plot.New investigation detailsPolice Chief Charles said five Haitian police officers are currently in isolation because of their alleged involvement in the assassination plot. Investigators are questioning all police officers who were on duty when the attack occurred, he said.”We have 18 assailants under detention. Three were killed during the attack, and there are five Haitian Americans who we are taking a close look at,” the chief told reporters during a Friday press conference.”We are working both internally and externally with the assistance of our international partners to move the investigation forward. There are Interpol and FBI agents here on the ground to help us analyze evidence that will help us trace and identify the masterminds,” Charles said.The chief thanked civilians who had been helping law enforcement find those involved in the assassination. Police have received a lot of helpful tips every day so far, he said.Matiado Vilme in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, contributed to this story.
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The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights on Friday urged Cuba to release protesters and journalists who were arrested in anti-government protests sparked by shortages of basic goods such as food and medicine.”All those detained for exercising their rights must be promptly released,” Michelle Bachelet said in a statement.Bachelet expressed concern about the alleged use of force against protesters and the detention of a large number of people who included several journalists.A journalist who was arrested Monday while covering the protests for the Spanish daily newspaper ABC was released from police custody Friday but placed under house arrest, according to the newspaper.’I have done nothing wrong'”They wanted me to sign a paper saying I admitted to public disorder, but I refused. I have done nothing wrong,” ABC journalist Camille Acosta said, adding that she used her time in prison to interview other detainees.”You cannot imagine how many people have been arrested and beaten, even minors,” she said.Bachelet called for a probe into the death of a 36-year-old protester during clashes Monday between protesters and police in Havana. She also called for an end to sanctions against the Caribbean country, “given their negative impact on human rights, including the right to health.”FILE – President Joe Biden speaks during a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the East Room of the White House in Washington, July 15, 2021.Bachelet’s appeal to Cuba came one day after U.S. President Joe Biden said that Washington would review whether it could help restore the internet in Cuba, which has suffered blackouts since protests erupted over the weekend.“They’ve cut off access to the internet. We’re considering whether we have the technological ability to reinstate that access,” Biden told reporters at a press conference alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel.At a regular White House media briefing Friday, press secretary Jen Psaki was asked if the Biden administration had asked American tech companies for help in restoring internet access in Cuba.“So, it would really be led, that effort would really be led by the State Department and other appropriate entities within the federal government. As the president noted yesterday, returning internet access to Cuba would certainly be something we’d love to be a part of,” she said.A number of U.S. lawmakers have urged the president in recent days to address connectivity issues on the island.FILE – Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., takes notes during a Senate Judiciary Hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, July 14, 2021.Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn told VOA on Thursday that the Biden administration must support the Cuban people in concrete ways.“They’ve been very hesitant to step forward. And it appears that what they’re trying to do is not take sides in a fight,” Blackburn said.“Time is of the essence here,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said, according to Reuters. “Every day that the regime has to black out the truth is a day they can get the upper hand on this,” he said of the Cuban government.Watchdog’s statementGlobal internet watchdog NetBlocks has confirmed restrictions to multiple social media and messaging platforms across Cuba over the past week.“The targeted restrictions are likely to limit the flow of information from Cuba following widespread protests on Sunday as thousands rallied against the socialist government’s policies and rising prices,” the organization said in a statement.Earlier Thursday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced a 16-member Cuba advisory group to develop policies to support the Cuban protesters and hold the Cuban government accountable for human rights abuses.“I know this team, many of whom are Cuban American and in one way or another have borne witness to the brutality of communism, will work diligently for the cause of freedom,” McCarthy said in a statement.European leaders have also expressed their support for the Cuban people. On Monday, the foreign minister for the European Union, Josep Borrell, urged the Cuban government “to listen to these protests of discontent.”Global Support for Cuba Demonstrations Politicians and activists praise Sunday’s ‘historic’ protests, urge Cuban government to respect human rights of its people    Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel and other officials have blamed the unrest on social media postings by Cuban Americans and the U.S. government’s decadeslong embargo on Cuba. Sanctions and restrictions imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump and a drop in tourism related to the pandemic have put extra pressure on the Cuban economy in recent years.Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro expressed his government’s support for Diaz-Canel on Monday and said, “If the U.S. really wants to help Cuba, let it immediately lift the sanctions and the blockade against its people.”The protests were the largest anti-government demonstrations in Cuba in decades.VOA’s Katherine Gypson, Jessica Jerreat and Patsy Widakuswara contributed to this report, which includes some information from Reuters.
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President Joe Biden says, while he is not open to U.S. military involvement in Haiti, he is planning to send troops to fortify the U.S. Embassy in the capital, Port-au-Prince.  
 
“We’re only sending American Marines to our embassy,” Biden said Thursday, during a joint news conference with visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “The idea of sending American forces to Haiti is not on the agenda.”  
 
Haitian President Jovenel Moise was shot and killed in the pre-dawn hours of July 7 at his private residence in a wealthy suburb of Port-au-Prince. His wife, Martine, was injured in the attack and is recovering from surgery at a Miami, Florida, hospital.  Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph told reporters he has spoken to the first lady several times and that she is doing well.VOA Interview: State Official Says ‘Nothing Off Table’ With Assisting HaitiActing deputy secretary also says delivery of first tranche of COVID-19 vaccines ‘imminent’  
President Biden has condemned the assassination and dispatched a special U.S. delegation to Haiti to assist with the investigation.   
 
Last week, Haiti Elections Minister Mathias Pierre said a request that U.S. troops be deployed to the country was made during a July 7 discussion between Haiti’s interim prime minister, Claude Joseph, and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Pierre said Joseph made a request for U.N. troops with the U.N. Security Council on July 8.  
 
In an exclusive interview with VOA, Juan Gonzalez, the U.S. National Security Council senior director for the Western Hemisphere, said the subject did come up during their discussions with Haitian officials.  
 
“There has not been a specific ask for a number of troops or a specific number of support of individuals providing security,” Gonzalez told VOA. “So, we’ve been focusing on the very specific asks which have been how do we actually help train and support and equip the Haitian National Police do its job. They have 13,500 officers – so focusing on where the needs are and of course it’s something we’re going to continue to study because of course the situation on the ground is quickly evolving.”Official: Aristide to Return to Haiti ‘Fully Recovered’Aristide’s return adds a potentially volatile element to an already tense situation in a country facing a power vacuum following the July 7 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. 
Gonzalez, who traveled to Port-au-Prince on Sunday, said U.S. officials are in constant contact with their international community counterparts.  
 
“We are also in regular contact with our international partners – including France, the leadership of the Caribbean community, the Dominican Republic and of course we’ve been active on the U.N. Security Council. Ambassador Linda Thomas [Greenfield] has actively been in contact with our counterparts, so it’s not something that is just the United States, but the international community all are uniting behind the Haitian people,” he told VOA.  The deployment of U.N. police or peacekeeping troops would have to be approved by the Security Council.  The U.N. had a stabilization mission in the country from 2004 to 2017.  Diplomats said that there is currently little appetite for sending a new mission to Haiti.
The NSC official said there is a team of eight FBI agents on the ground in Haiti, assisting with the investigation into president Moise’s murder.  
 
“A number of officials from the Department of Homeland Security are helping on everything from tracing the weapons to the body armor and the cellphones that were being used and do everything possible to get to the bottom of who was involved and who is responsible for the assassination,” Gonzalez said.
 
A VOA Creole reporter saw FBI agents in the wealthy Pelerin neighborhood of Haiti’s capital, where President Moise’s private residence is located. They were armed and working with Haitian law enforcement.  
 Murder investigation  
 
In Port-au-Prince, National Police Chief Leon Charles denied that interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph was involved in the Moise assassination plot.  
 
According to Charles, 27 people have been interrogated so far, and information gleaned from those interrogations found no connection between Joseph and the alleged murderers.  
 
The chief said Dimitri Herard, head of security at the National Palace, is in police custody. He has been placed in isolation and has been relieved of his duties, Charles said. Herard will remain in isolation until he is questioned by investigators, the chief said, without specifying exactly where in the capital Herard is being held.   
 
The police chief said 23 suspects are being interrogated—two Haitian Americans, three Haitians and 18 Colombians. Three others who participated in the attack on the president were killed, he said.  Pentagon: Some Colombians Arrested in Moise Assassination Probe Received US Military Training National Security Council official who traveled to Haiti last Sunday tells VOA the US is prepared to prosecute anyone found to have broken US laws  Reaction in Haiti’s north  
 
In Wanament, the north and northeastern branch of the political party PLANSPA (Platfom Nasyonal Sekte Popile Ayisyen) held a press conference Thursday to denounce the assassination of president Moise.  
 
“The coordinators for the PLANSPA party for the north and northeast regions vehemently condemn this terrorist act. This is the first time such a crime has taken place in the country where a band of shameless criminals succeeded in assassinating a president in his home,” a party official said.
 
PLANSPA called for justice for President Moise and said members will keep pushing for that.  
 
In Gonaives, the most populous city in the agricultural Artibonite region, the Moise assassination remains a hot topic, according to VOA Creole’s reporter there. He says the city was tense on Monday with tires burning in the streets and gunshots heard. On Tuesday, daily activities had returned to normal. The reporter said the flag is flying at half-staff in honor of Moise and some government offices have been decorated in black, in a sign of mourning.  
 
According to the Moise family, the president desired to be buried in the north of Haiti, next to his father. Spanish reporter Jorge Agobian, White House correspondent Steve Herman, U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer, Matiado Vilme in Port-au-Prince, Jaudelet Junior Saint-Vil in Wanament, Exalus Mergenat in Gonaives contributed to this report.
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U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday that Washington would review whether it could help restore the internet in Cuba, which has suffered blackouts since protests erupted over the weekend.

“They’ve cut off access to the internet. We’re considering whether we have the technological ability to reinstate that access,” Biden told reporters at a press conference alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

A number of U.S. lawmakers have urged the president in recent days to address connectivity issues on the island, as protests over food and medicine shortages have rocked Havana, leaving at least one person dead and hundreds arrested.

Republican Senator Marsha Blackburn told VOA Thursday the Biden administration must support the Cuban people in concrete ways.

“They’ve been very hesitant to step forward. And it appears that what they’re trying to do is not take sides in a fight,” Blackburn said.

“Time is of the essence here,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said, according to Reuters. “Every day that the regime has to black out the truth is a day they can get the upper hand on this,” he said of the Cuban government.

Global internet watchdog NetBlocks has confirmed restrictions to multiple social media and messaging platforms across Cuba over the past week.

“The targeted restrictions are likely to limit the flow of information from Cuba following widespread protests on Sunday as thousands rallied against the socialist government’s policies and rising prices,” the organization said in a statement. 

Earlier Thursday, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy announced a 16-member Cuba advisory group to develop policies to support the Cuban protesters and hold the Cuban government accountable for human rights abuses.

“I know this team, many of whom are Cuban American and in one way or another have borne witness to the brutality of communism, will work diligently for the cause of freedom,” McCarthy said in a statement.

European leaders have also expressed their support for the Cuban people. On Monday, the foreign minister for the European Union, Josep Borrell, urged the Cuban government “to listen to these protests of discontent.” 

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and other officials have blamed the unrest on social media postings by Cuban Americans and the U.S. government’s decades-long embargo on Cuba. Sanctions and restrictions imposed by former U.S. President Donald Trump and a drop in tourism related to the pandemic have put extra pressure on the Cuban economy in recent years.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro expressed his government’s support for Díaz-Canel on Monday and said, “If the U.S. really wants to help Cuba, let it immediately lift the sanctions and the blockade against its people.”

The protests were the largest anti-government demonstrations in Cuba in decades.

Some information for this report came from Reuters.
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Some of the Colombian nationals detained by the Haitian National police in connection with the assassination of President Jovenel Moise took part in “U.S. military training and education programs,” a Pentagon spokesperson confirmed in a statement emailed to VOA.  The information came to light during a review of training databases, Lt. Col Ken Hoffman said, without specifying when or where the training took place.  “Our review is ongoing, so we do not have additional details at this time,” Hoffman said. The development was first reported by The Washington Post. According to the Pentagon, the U.S. Defense Department trains thousands of military people from South America, Central America and the Caribbean each year.  Hoffman said the training is focused on “respect for human rights, compliance with the rule of law, and militaries subordinate to democratically elected civilian leadership.”Haitian National Police Chief Leon Charles said police have arrested 18 Colombians in connection with the assassination.  Moise was shot and killed during an attack inside his private residence, located in a wealthy suburb of Port-au Prince, in the pre-dawn hours of July 7. His wife, Martine, who was injured in the attack, is recovering after undergoing surgery at a Miami, Florida, hospital. Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph told reporters he has spoken to Mrs. Moise multiple times and that she is doing well. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, right, meets with Colombian Vice President and Foreign Minister, Marta Lucia Ramirez, at the US State Department in Washington on May 28, 2021.Colombian government on ‘mercenaries’  
 
In New York, Colombia’s Vice President and Minister of Foreign Affairs Marta Lucia Ramirez denounced the involvement of Colombian nationals in the Moise assassination after a United Nations Security Council meeting Tuesday. “Let me say that the Colombian government, but also the judiciary system, is working with the Judiciary and intelligence from other countries in order to help the Haitian state to identify all the responsibilities in this crime — in this major crime,” Ramirez told reporters, adding that her country also is working with the International Criminal Police Organization, Interpol. “And of course, we are helping Interpol in order to have all the information, the track record about the time when they lived in Colombia, all the information about their communications, everything in order to clarify this horrible crime,” Ramirez said. “Everybody who is involved, everybody who was a physical or intellectual actor of this crime must be punished, and must be punished with an extreme and very high capacity of international justice and the Colombian justice and others.” New arrests  
 
In Port-au-Prince Thursday, Haiti’s national police announced the arrest of two additional suspects in connection with the assassination of President Moise. Police identified them as Haitians Reynaldo Corvington and Gilbert Dragon. Police say they found a cache of weapons at the homes of both suspects that included AR-15 rifles, automatic weapons, pistols and hunting rifles. Three hand grenades were found at Corvington’s residence, a police statement says.  Additionally, national police issued a new arrest warrant for Désir Gordon Phenil. A statement posted on PNH’s official Facebook page says Phenil was responsible for renting cars, coordinating meetings with the “mercenaries” and buying equipment.  On Wednesday, Dimitri Herard, head of security at the national palace, was taken into custody. VOA Creole reporters say Herard was scheduled to appear before a court inquiry in Port-au-Prince earlier Wednesday but failed to do so.  U.S. President Joe Biden meets with his Attorney General Merrick Garland, law enforcement officials, and community leaders to discuss gun violence reduction strategies at the White House in Washington, July 12, 2021.U.S. President Joe Biden has condemned the assassination. The president dispatched a special delegation to Haiti to assist with the investigation. The delegation includes officials from the State Department, Homeland Security, the Justice Department and the National Security Council.   Matiado Vilme in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and U.N. correspondent Margaret Besheer contributed to this report
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Haiti, reeling from the assassination of its president and the coronavirus pandemic, has received its first half-million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund said Thursday. UNICEF said in a statement the doses were donated by the U.S. and delivered Wednesday through COVAX, an initiative for the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines. “Until yesterday, Haiti was the only country in the Americas without a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine,” Haiti was the only country in the Americas without a single dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. On July 14, 500,000 doses of vaccine donated by the U.S government through COVAX landed in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. (Photo: © UNICEF/UN0489198/Fils Guillau)The initial batch of vaccines came after the July 7 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise by an armed hit-squad in his heavily guarded private home. Moise’s death occurred amid a period of heightened political instability and gang violence in the country. His assassination has raised fears of another surge in COVID-19 cases, according to the Pan American Health Organization. U.S. President Joe Biden promised in June to deliver 80 million doses worldwide by the end of the month. His administration plans to donate an additional 500 million doses globally in the next year, and 200 million by the end of 2021. COVAX is co-led by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, the World Health Organization and UNICEF. Margaret Besheer at the United Nations contributed to this report. Some information also came from Agence France-Presse and Associated Press.  
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The head of security at the Haitian presidential palace has been taken into custody as part of the investigation of July 7 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moise.A close associate of Dimitri Herard said Herard was detained Wednesday. CNN said Martin failed to appear before a court inquiry ordered by the public prosecutor of Port-au-Prince because he had been summoned by police for questioning.Moise was killed during a predawn attack on his private residence in a wealthy suburb of the Haitian capital that also left his wife, Martine, seriously wounded. National Police Chief Leon Charles said 18 Colombians and three Haitians have been arrested in connection with the attack, including 63-year-old Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Haitian-born man based in the U.S. state of Florida who police believe is the mastermind behind the plot to kill Moise. Charles said Sanon arrived in Haiti on a private plane in early June with some of the Colombians.An official with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration told VOA in an emailed statement that one of the suspects in custody was a confidential source to the agency.A manhunt continues for several more suspects, including a man identified by The Associated Press as John Joel Joseph, a former senator in opposition to Moise’s Tet Kale party.U.S. President Joe Biden has dispatched a special delegation to Haiti to assist with the investigation.Moise’s killing has created a leadership vacuum in the troubled Caribbean nation. He had named neurosurgeon Ariel Henry to the post of prime minister to replace Claude Joseph, who was serving in the post on an interim basis while also serving as foreign minister. But Henry was not sworn in before the assassination, and Joseph has declared himself acting prime minister.A commission made up of representatives of all sectors of Haitian civil society plans to meet Thursday to sign a political accord that will name a new president.Joseph, as acting prime minister, had requested the United States deploy troops to Haiti to protect key infrastructure.Meanwhile, Haiti received 500,000 doses of the two-shot Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday. The doses were donated by the U.S. through the United Nations-led COVAX global vaccine sharing initiative. Through the initiative, vaccines are distributed to low- and middle-income countries.Haiti has reported 19,374 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 487 deaths, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.Some information for this report came from Reuters and The Associated Press.
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Cuba announced on Wednesday it was temporarily lifting restrictions on the amount of food and medicine travelers could bring into the country in an apparent small concession to demands by protesters who took to the street last weekend.Thousands joined a wave of nationwide protests over shortages of basic goods, curbs on civil liberties and the government’s handling of a surge in COVID-19 infections on Sunday, in the most significant unrest in decades in the Communist-run country.The government blamed the unrest on U.S.-financed “counter-revolutionaries” exploiting hardship caused by the decades-old U.S. trade embargo that Washington tightened in the midst of the pandemic, pushing the Cuban economy to the brink.Several countries and the United Nations have called on the government to respect citizens’ right to express themselves. Others like Mexico have said A demonstrator holds up a bead necklace in the colors of the Cuban flag, July 14, 2021, in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood, as people rallied in support of antigovernment demonstrations in Cuba.And Prime Minister Manuel Marrero said on Wednesday the government would do precisely that from next Monday, lifting restrictions until the year-end.“It was a demand made by many travelers and it was necessary to take this decision,” he said on a roundtable on state television, alongside President Miguel Diaz-Canel.It was not immediately clear how much difference the move would make given that there are very few flights at the moment into the Caribbean island nation which is going through its worst coronavirus outbreak since the start of the pandemic.Government critic Yoani Sanchez, who runs news website 14ymedio, was quick to tweet that such concessions would not be enough to appease those who had protested on Sunday.“We do not want crumbs, we want freedom, and we want it nowwwww,” she wrote. “The streets have spoken: we are not afraid.”Cubans say they have been frustrated by outages in mobile internet and restricted access to social media and messaging platforms since Sunday.“It’s been a bunch of days that no one has been able to connect,” said Havana resident Andrea Lopez. “My husband is in Mexico and I haven’t been able to speak with him.”More than 200 people were detained during or following the protests, according to exiled rights group Cubalex, and only a handful have been released so far.Diaz-Canel said there were three kinds of protesters; counterrevolutionaries, criminals and those with legitimate frustrations. State-run television showed images of a crowd looting a store and another attacking an empty police car.Interior ministry officials said in a program televised later that some of the detained would be pursued for crimes like incitement to violence, contempt, robbery and damage to public property, which carry lengthy prison sentences.  
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The United States will support an inclusive, credible Haitian government, Laura Lochman, the State Department’s acting deputy assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs, told VOA on Wednesday.Lochman was part of a U.S. delegation President Joe Biden dispatched to Haiti on July 11 in response to a request from the government of Haiti for assistance after the assassination of President Jovenel Moise last week.The U.S. delegation met with Haitian acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph, Prime Minister-designate Ariel Henry and Senator Joseph Lambert.The senator posted a message on Twitter, saying he had met with the U.S. delegation and that they “appreciate” the Haitian Senate resolution naming him as provisional president of Haiti.“It’s up to the Haitians to come up with the solution to this political process at this point so we rely on them and give them all the support that we can to work conclusively, to work together to form a consensus government. And the United States will definitely, along with our international partners, support an inclusive, credible government,” Lochman told VOA in response to a question about who the United States will support as Haiti’s leader.Haitian politicians float their own plansIn Port-au-Prince, a commission comprised of representatives of all sectors of Haitian civil society plans to meet Thursday to sign a political accord that will name a new president.Ted Saint Dic, one of the organizers of the upcoming meeting, told reporters the group plans to meet with the 10 Haitian senators whose terms have not expired.“We will present a plan based on discussions we have already had, that we will make public during the meeting. With regards to the proposal to name Senator Lambert president of the republic, we believe that before making such a decision, there must be consultations. That’s where we are right now,” Saint Dic said.He described the effort as a “society effort” that would not be rushed.“We’re not in a hurry. We want to allow the country to find a way to enter into dialogue and agree on solutions that fundamentally address the biggest preoccupations of the Haitian people,” Saint Dic said. “The people have what it takes to decide who their leader will be.”Elsewhere in the capital, several political leaders held press conferences Tuesday to discuss their efforts to solve the current political void.Former Senator Steven Benoit discussed his plan during a press conference.“I told Senator Lambert that we need to organize as soon as possible a national dialogue with representatives of all sectors of society, including the religious sector, to decide what we are going to do,” Benoit said. “The constitution has been ignored (by President Moise) since January 2020, so today we need a political accord. And I’ve asked Senator Lambert to meet with the different political parties, which he has begun to do, as well as members of civil society, to discuss the issues and come up with a Haitian solution.”Political leader Dieudonne Lherisson of the PLANSPA (Platfom Nasyonal Sekte Popile Ayisyen) Party also held a press conference Tuesday to call for a national dialogue.“Everyone knows there were (only) 11 elected officials in the country — President Moise and the 10 senators. President Moise is dead now, so 10 elected officials remain, who were elected by the people. It is time for them to take responsibility and organize a national dialogue — not to mess around — but rather to find the best formula to reestablish order, fight insecurity and organize elections to allow the people to choose their leader in a democratic fashion,” Lherisson said.“We’re very happy to hear that they’re moving in that direction,” said Lochman told VOA.ElectionsFormer Senator Benoit is pushing for an 18-month transition period, ending with presidential and legislative elections in September or October 2022. But Lochman said the United States would like to see elections held this year.“We have always believed and in fact continue to believe very strongly, that it’s imperative to hold elections for both president and the legislature this year and that is because there has been a vacuum in democratic governance in Haiti that is not serving the needs of the Haitian people,” Lochman said.In fact, the parliament has been out of session since January 2020 when the terms of most of the legislature expired. Elections have not been held to elect new members due to mass protests, the coronavirus pandemic and uncontrolled gang violence.Lochman stressed the need for Haiti’s executive, legislative and judicial branches of government to be fully operational.“You need to have all branches of government in place and working together and working in the pursuit of providing services to the Haitian people that they deserve. And we the U.S. government as well as our international partners have been working with them and will continue to stand with them to improve their democratic governance and institutions,” she told VOA.Troop requestThe question of whether the U.S. will send troops to Haiti has been a hot topic both inside Haiti and in the U.S. since President Moise’s assassination.“The Haitian acting prime minister did send a letter both to the United Nations and the United States prior to last weekend, asking for asking for assistance in maintaining some of their critical infrastructure as well as helping in election security and with the investigation of the assassination,” Lochman told VOA.Pressed about whether the U.S. has decided to send troops to Haiti, she said the conversation is ongoing.“To be clear we are working with them now to get a very clear idea of exactly what their needs are and how we can best respond to those. And while nothing is being taken off the table at this point, we are trying to understand better the fundamental issues they are grappling with,” Lochman said.Renan Toussaint and Matiado Vilme in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, contributed to this story. 
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The United States is encouraging Haitian political leaders, civil society and the private sector to find a political solution that will lead to presidential and legislative elections in the Caribbean island nation later this year, following last week’s assassination of President Jovenel Moise.A commission made up of representatives of all sectors of Haitian civil society plans to meet Thursday to sign a political accord that will name a new president.“We’re very happy to hear that they’re moving in that direction,” said Laura Lochman, the State Department’s acting deputy assistant secretary in the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs.Lochman on Wednesday sat down with VOA to discuss the crisis in Haiti and how the United States is planning to help with the investigation of Moise’s assassination, gang violence, and COVID-19 cases.Lochman was a member of the U.S. delegation that traveled to Port-au-Prince on Sunday in response to a Haitian government request for security and investigative assistance following the July 7 killing.The following are excerpts from the interview, which has been edited for brevity and clarity.VOA: Various groups of Haitian political leaders plan to meet this week to discuss a solution for the political crisis and name a new leader. Will the U.S. recognize their decision?Lochman: The United States, in conjunction with our international partners, have been in constant contact with Haitian political leaders, encouraging them to come together and have an inclusive, open process and form a unity government that includes the private sector, civil society, as well as the various political parties. So, we’re very happy to hear that they’re moving in that direction.VOA: Haitian Senator Joseph Lambert posted a message on Twitter, saying he had met with the U.S. delegation and that they “appreciate” the Haitian Senate resolution naming him as provisional president of Haiti. Can you confirm or deny that statement?Lochman: We did, in fact — when we were on the ground in Port-au-Prince on Sunday — we did meet with Senator Lambert. We also met with the acting prime minister, Claude Joseph, and Prime Minister-Designate Dr. Ariel Henry. And we have the exact same message to all three gentlemen, which is to encourage them to work together, to take their time, have an inclusive process, draw in other political parties and the civil society actors to come up with a consensus government that could help restore stability to Haiti and lead them to presidential and legislative elections this year.VOA: Would the U.S. recognize Lambert as a leader if that’s the conclusion?Lochman: Again, it’s up to the Haitians to come up with the solution to this political process at this point. So, we rely on them and give them all of the support that we can to work conclusively, to work together, to form a consensus government. And the United States will definitely, along with our international partners, support an inclusive, credible government.VOA: Will the U.S. continue pushing for elections in 2021?Lochman: We have always believed … and continue to believe very strongly that it’s imperative to hold elections for both the president and the legislature this year, and that is because there has been, really, a vacuum in democratic governance in Haiti that is not serving the needs of the Haitian people. There are many significant problems — on the economic front, security front, political front, health front — that need to be dealt with in Haiti, and you need three functioning, fully staffed branches of government responsible to the Haitian people to take on those challenges.VOA: If I may ask, elections have never solved Haiti’s problems. What is the U.S. thinking these elections will settle?Lochman: Well certainly, again, a power vacuum or a lack of democratic governance would never be the solution in our minds. You need to have all branches of government in place and working together in the pursuit of providing services to the Haitian people that they deserve. And the U.S. government, as well as other international partners, have been working with them and will continue to stand with them to improve their democratic governance and institutions.VOA: When does the U.S. expect to deliver COVID-19 vaccines to Haiti?Lochman: The delivery of vaccines is quite imminent — at least the first tranche of vaccines should be arriving very soon. And then, there will be provision of more as conditions allow, in terms of cold storage, etc., but we are committed to providing them as soon as possible.VOA: Has there been consular access to the three Americans who have been accused in the assassination? Is there a determination whether they are culpable?Lochman: We have been informed that there are three American citizens detained by the Haitian National Police (HNP) in connection with the horrible assassination. Our embassy in Port-au-Prince is providing the normal and appropriate consular services to those U.S. citizens.VOA: Has the U.S. said no to any request from Haiti for assistance?Lochman: We have not. We are, again, working very closely — it’s on a constant basis — with Haitian officials to determine what their needs are, to kind of drill down on the specifics and determine how we can best support them from the U.S. government perspective.VOA: Has the U.S. received a request from the Haitian government for U.S. troops to protect infrastructure sites like its ports and the airport?Lochman: Prior to last weekend, Haiti’s acting prime minister did send a letter, both to the United Nations and the United States, asking for assistance in maintaining the safety of some of their critical infrastructure, as well as helping on election security, and with the investigation of the assassination. So again, we’re working internally within the U.S. government, as well as with our international partners, to coordinate with the Haitians on how best to respond to their requests.VOA: The U.S. is saying yes to the request to send U.S. troops to protect Haiti’s infrastructure sites?Lochman: To reiterate, we are working with them now to get a very clear idea of exactly what their needs are and how we can best respond to those needs. And while nothing is being taken off the table at this point, we are trying to understand better the fundamental issues they’re grappling with. And one of the things that we may ramp up, for instance, is our provision of advisers to the HNP to help them combat the gangs that are such a problem there right now. But again, this conversation is going on daily.VOA: Ambassador Michele Sison has been named to a new post at the State Department. When can we expect this administration to name her replacement?Lochman: Ambassador Sison remains the ambassador to Haiti. At this point, she is awaiting Senate confirmation for her new role, and she is on the ground in Port-au-Prince working way too many hours per day and putting her full experience into helping solve the issues on the ground in Haiti.VOA: Is there anything else you would like to add?Lochman: Just that, again, the United States has had a long relationship with the Haitian people, and we are fully committed to doing everything that we can to assist them in this very difficult time that they are experiencing. 
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Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was being evaluated Wednesday for possible emergency surgery for an intestinal obstruction, his office said. Bolsonaro, 66, was admitted to the Armed Forces Hospital in Brasilia early in the morning and was “feeling well,” according to an initial statement that said doctors were examining his persistent hiccups. But hours later, the president’s office said Dr. Antonio Luiz Macedo, the surgeon who operated on Bolsonaro after he was stabbed in the abdomen during the 2018 presidential campaign, decided to transfer him to Sao Paulo, where he will undergo additional tests to evaluate the need for an emergency surgery. FILE – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro reacts during a ceremony in Brasilia, Brazil, March 10, 2021.The stabbing caused intestinal damage and serious internal bleeding and the president has gone through several surgeries since, some unrelated to the attack. In recent weeks, Bolsonaro has appeared to struggle with speaking on various occasions and said that he suffers from recurring hiccups. “I apologize to everyone who is listening to me, because I’ve been hiccuping for five days now,” Bolsonaro said in an interview with Radio Guaiba on July 7. He suggested that some medications prescribed after dental surgery might be the cause. “I have the hiccups 24 hours a day.” The following day, during his weekly Facebook Live session, Bolsonaro apologized again for not being able to express himself well due to weeklong hiccups. Bolsonaro has been under growing pressure from a congressional inquiry into his administration’s handling of the pandemic and alleged corruption in the acquisition of vaccines against COVID-19, and recent polls have indicated that he could lose in the next 2022 election. On Tuesday night, in a 20-minute encounter with the president in Brasilia, supporters repeatedly asked him to look after his health. 
 
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Supporters of slain Haitian President Jovenel Moise gathered Wednesday near the National Palace in Port-au-Prince to honor him, placing multiple floral wreaths near the palace gates.  
 
“We will never forget you,” a man said as he placed a wreath on the ground.  
 
“I have no strength left. I can’t deal anymore. When I think about how he was killed, I just start crying. They massacred the father of the nation,” a female supporter who did not wish to give her name, told VOA.  
 
Another female supporter said she believes the president’s assassination was political.  
 
“Everyone knows why he was killed. He was assassinated just like the emperor (Jean-Jacques Dessalines). For over 50 years, we have dealt with these types of actions — that’s why this country is in such a sorry state. If we don’t change the system, we will never make any progress,” she told VOA.
 
Mackenson Cange, spokesman for the Alliance Democratique Contre la Transition en Haiti Party, said supporters want to send a clear signal to everyone who is watching events unfold in Haiti.  
 
“The president’s blood will not be shed in vain,” he told VOA. “We need to know in what context the president was killed. We need to know the motive behind the killing. We are asking for justice for President Moise, and we are ready to risk our lives to ensure that happens.”
 
Cange appealed to anyone involved in the assassination to surrender to police.  
 
“Don’t let the people be the ones to find you,” Cange said.People place a portrait of slain Haitian President Jovenel Moise with a quote from him that reads in Creole “I try, you don’t give up. Continue fighting,” at a memorial outside the National Palace, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 14, 2021.Former Moise campaign colleague Pierre Garry Bernadotte, who is the Haitian delegate for the West Department, said he felt compelled to participate in Wednesday’s event.
“I spent six years and five months with Jovenel Moise. I started out with him on the first day of his campaign, and we stayed with him until his last day. In fact, we continue to serve him (in the government),” Pierre told VOA.
 
“All Haitians must reflect on what happened — regardless of whether you liked Jovenel or not. We must admit that things must change in this country. We need to learn the lesson of this tragedy so that the president does not die in vain,” he said.
 UN tribute  
 
At the United Nations, countries paid tribute Wednesday to the slain president and expressed solidarity and support for the Haitian people.  
 
Flanked by a portrait of Moise and a bouquet of white lilies and hydrangeas, Deputy U.N. Secretary-General Amina Mohammed said the U.N. was joining the people of Haiti in their mourning.  
 
“We say goodbye not only to a head of state, but to a friend, a father and a husband,” she said.
 
“Nothing can justify this act of inhumanity that took place on Haitian soil against President Moise,” the St. Kitts and Nevis’s envoy said, on behalf of the Caribbean Community of states (CARICOM). “It must, therefore, be condemned, and its perpetrators must be brought to justice if we are going to avoid the collapse of civilization in Haiti.”
 
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., expressed support for the people of Haiti. 
“We urge all political parties, civil society groups, and other stakeholders to work together to prioritize calm and stability,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “At this challenging and most difficult time, I want to assure the Haitian people that our partnership with you will continue.”A picture of slain Haitian President Jovenel Moise hangs on a wall before a news conference by acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, July 13, 2021.Funeral planning committee  
 
Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph said Tuesday funeral planning was being handled in consultation with first lady Martine Moise and the Moise family. An official government announcement was issued ahead of a press conference to introduce members of the official planning committee.
 
“The council of ministers will oversee the committee’s work. The institutions and public administration will provide all necessary resources in completing this mission. The government should provide members of the committee with everything they need while being respectful of the task at hand,” Joseph said.
 
In addition to himself, Joseph said the committee members include the ministers of defense, culture and communication, and interior; the director of the cabinet (chief of staff); the secretary-general of the presidency; and the director-general of the MUPANAH (Musée du Panthéon National Haitien).
 
According to a Moise family member, the president wanted to be laid to rest in the north, where his father is buried.
 
The prime minister called on Haitian citizens to participate in the funeral ceremony and events honoring Moise’s life.
 
“We must bid him farewell with honor and dignity,” Joseph said.
 
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When widespread protests broke out in Cuba Sunday, hundreds of Cuban Americans in Miami’s Little Havana neighborhood took to the streets in support. Those street demonstrations in Miami have continued.  Liliya Anisimova has the story, narrated by Anna Rice.Camera: Liliya Anisimova  
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Spain called on Cuba Tuesday to release a journalist who was detained in Havana while covering the biggest demonstrations in the communist country for decades. Camila Acosta, 28, who works for the right-leaning Spanish daily ABC, was held by police Monday night.  Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares implored Cuba to immediately release Acosta and respect the rights of demonstrators. “Spain defends the right to demonstrate freely and peacefully and asks the Cuban authorities to respect it,” Albares tweeted. “We demand the immediate release of Camila Acosta.”  Cuba’s government cracked down on activists Monday night after mass protests drew thousands over the weekend. Acosta, who describes herself on Twitter as an independent Cuban journalist, has reported for ABC for six months. She was uploading photos of the unrest to social media when she was detained. Her arrest prompted international condemnation among politicians and media organizations, as her newspaper said she played no part in the protests and was only documenting them.Demonstrators clash during protests against and in support of the government, in Havana, July 12, 2021.ABC learned that Acosta had been arrested around 8 p.m. Spanish time (2 p.m. in Cuba) on Monday. “She had gone to report on, not to join in, the demonstrations,” Alexis Rodriguez, ABC’s foreign editor, told VOA on Tuesday. “We were told that she has been arrested for crimes against state security.” Cuban authorities later changed the charges to contempt and public disorder, which can carry a jail sentence of three to six years. Rodriguez said the newspaper was “highly concerned” that one of its journalists had been detained and called on the Spanish government to do all it can to help with Acosta’s release. Acosta’s father, Orlando Acosta, lives in Florida and was visiting his daughter in Cuba when she was arrested. “We went out to do a PCR (COVID-19) test so that I could return to the U.S. this Friday when the unrest happened,” Orlando Acosta told ABC Tuesday night.  “I have been told by the Cuban authorities that they are going to charge her with contempt and public disorder,” he added. “They are going to leave her at the police station for another 72 hours before she comes before a prosecutor. I have not been able to see my daughter. They say it is because of the risk of COVID-19.”Orlando Acosta said about 15 police officers raided his daughter’s rented flat with dogs and seized her work computers. He was told she must vacate the premises immediately. Camila Acosta previously had been forced to leave other rented accommodations because she has criticized the Cuban government when she was abroad, her father said. Orlando Acosta said he was told by the Cuban government that his daughter should leave the island forever. “But that would stop her from doing her job as a journalist, which she is content with, and I am not going to interfere in that,” he told ABC. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, a socialist who in 2018 paid the first official visit by a Spanish leader to Cuba in three decades, said the country was “not a democracy.” “Without interference, the country has to find its own way,” Sanchez told broadcaster Telecinco on Tuesday. The Spanish prime minister demanded Acosta’s release, adding that Cubans should be able to protest freely and enjoy the “same rights and freedoms as in Spain.” Media associations in Spain called for her swift release. In a statement, the Spanish Federation of Journalists Associations demanded the removal of “all charges against Acosta” and called on the Spanish government to “do everything necessary so she is released without charges.” The organization condemned all arrests and attacks on journalists in Cuba over the weekend, including against Ramón Espinosa, a photographer for The Associated Press. About 100 protesters, activists and independent journalists have been detained nationwide since Sunday, according to exiled rights group, Cubalex. VOA contacted the Cuban Embassy in Madrid for comment Tuesday but did not receive a reply.  
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