Haitian Civil Society and Diaspora React to Moïse Assassination Verdicts: Partial Justice, Masterminds Still Free

In the wake of the May 8 Miami federal court convictions of four defendants in the Jovenel Moïse assassination case, Haitian civil society organizations, diaspora groups, and international human rights advocates voiced mixed reactions on May 9, 2026: acknowledging the verdict as partial accountability while emphasizing that the true masterminds — widely believed to include senior Haitian political and business figures — remain unindicted and free. The four convicted defendants (Arcángel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla, James Solages), all US-based, were described by analysts as mid-level operators. The key figure believed to have recruited the Colombian mercenaries — former Haitian Justice Ministry official Joseph Badio — has not been extradited to the United States and remains in Haiti. Martine Moïse, who survived the assassination and was herself indicted in Haiti's domestic proceedings, has not faced charges in the US case. The US case notably does not reach the highest political level of the alleged conspiracy. International observers on May 9 called for the US Department of Justice and Haitian authorities to continue pursuing the chain of command. The Haitian Diaspora Federation and Haitian-American advocacy groups in Miami — where many of the trial proceedings were followed live — organized community assemblies to discuss the verdict's meaning for accountability in Haiti's still-unresolved governance crisis. The conviction of the four, while historic as the first US criminal verdicts in the case, leaves 92% of Haiti still under gang control and the country no closer to the political stabilization the Moïse assassination derailed.