The Haitian judge appointed to lead the investigation into President Moïse’s assassination withdrew from the case in August 2021 — just days after taking the assignment — citing personal reasons that most observers interpreted as security threats making it impossible to conduct the investigation safely. The withdrawal was the second consecutive investigative judge to leave the case, reflecting the danger of pursuing an investigation that led toward powerful and potentially violent interests.
The pattern of judge withdrawals from the assassination investigation was deeply alarming. In late July 2021, two judges and two clerks involved in the initial judicial proceedings had been threatened. The first judge appointed to lead the full investigation withdrew after his clerk died under circumstances that were never fully explained. The second judge followed within weeks of his appointment. These departures were not coincidences but indicators of a systematic effort to prevent meaningful judicial accountability.
A third judge, Garry Orélien, was eventually designated to lead the investigation, but the institutional damage had been done. The message sent to anyone involved in the assassination investigation was clear: pursuing the case aggressively carried real physical risks. The Haitian judicial system, already functioning poorly under normal conditions, was being directly intimidated into inaction on one of the most important cases in the country’s history.
International legal observers called for specific security measures to protect judges and prosecutors working on the assassination investigation, including physical protection, secure communication systems, and the option to conduct proceedings outside Haiti if necessary. They argued that without meaningful protection for judicial personnel, any prospect of accountability through Haitian courts was illusory.