Overview:
A brand new UN human rights report hyperlinks Miragoâne prosecutor Jean Ernest Muscadin to not less than 28 abstract executions this 12 months. However as Haiti’s safety disaster deepens, his tough-on-gangs method has made him a hero to many at dwelling and throughout the diaspora.
Editor’s observe: Fritznel D. Octave, Haiti editor for The Haitian Instances, contributed to this reporting.
A brand new United Nations report accusing Miragoâne Public Prosecutor Jean Ernest Muscadin of finishing up extrajudicial executions has reignited a nationwide debate over justice and survival in Haiti. The allegations come as Muscadin’s recognition surges, fueling public requires him to hunt increased workplace—at the same time as questions on his strategies intensify.
In line with the report produced by the UN Built-in Workplace in Haiti (BINUH) and revealed final week, not less than 28 abstract executions documented throughout the final two quarters had been attributed on to Muscadin. The discovering provides to years of complaints from human rights organizations, notably the Nationwide Human Rights Protection Community (RNDDH), which has lengthy accused him of main a “parallel justice system” within the Nippes area.
“Through the quarter [July-September 2025], one case involving the Public Prosecutor of Miragoâne, Jean Ernest Muscadin, was documented,” the UN report said.
“The incident occurred on July 23 within the commune of Miragoâne (Nippes Division), when an armed man was shot useless by him. Within the earlier quarter, this prosecutor executed 27 individuals, with full impunity.”
But as worldwide stress grows, so too does Muscadin’s stature amongst abnormal Haitians who see him not as a rogue official, however as the one state actor who has — of their view — delivered tangible safety.
In a rustic the place gangs management greater than 90% of the capital and are increasing their grip on a number of provincial cities — 1000’s of prisoners have escaped throughout repeated jail breakouts, and the justice system is sort of paralyzed — many residents say the UN’s issues miss the truth they stay in.
A prosecutor with blood on his palms or the one one stopping gang growth?
Regardless of allegations of illegal killings, Muscadin’s supporters describe him as the one determine who has stored southern Haiti impenetrable to gangs at a time when state establishments have collapsed.
Residents of the Nippes Division, significantly Miragoâne—lower than 80 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, consult with him as “Komisè pèp la” — “the individuals’s prosecutor.”
Many credit score him with stopping feared coalitions like Viv Ansanm and G9 gangs from getting into the area, at the same time as gangs have overrun the capital, components of Artibonite and the Centre division.
“He’s our safety,” protesters chanted on Nov. 17 as 1000’s marched by way of Miragoâne, shutting down faculties and companies to denounce the UN report and demand that Muscadin stay in workplace. They vowed to proceed their protest till Thursday.
An enormous crowd of individuals danced within the streets amid a carnival-like environment. “Si w manyen Muscadin, wap boule” — “For those who contact Muscadin, you’ll get burned,” many sang collectively over the loud music.
All through their march, protesters—largely younger individuals of their 20s and 30s— additionally threw slogans difficult gangs to step onto the Nippes Division’s land.
Comparable protests have occurred repeatedly every time accusations of abuse floor in opposition to Muscadin.
The diaspora, particularly in South Florida, New York, Montreal and Paris, has amplified the motion, praising him continuously on social media for “doing what the federal government has did not do.”
Judicial vacuum fuels help for hardline figures
Muscadin’s rise underscores a deeper disaster: Haiti’s justice system, weakened by political instability, persistent underfunding and assaults on courthouses, is barely functioning.
- Haiti’s jails function at over 300% capability.
- Greater than 80% of detainees are held indefinitely with out trial.
- Courtroom buildings in Port-au-Prince, Croix-des-Bouquets and Mirebalais have been destroyed or deserted.
- Prosecutors and judges continuously flee the nation beneath menace of reprisal.
Towards this backdrop, Muscadin’s insistence that “bandits will both die or depart Nippes” resonates with a public that feels deserted.
“When justice collapses, individuals flip to whoever can defend them,” mentioned a authorized knowledgeable in Port-au-Prince who requested anonymity for his security.
The UN and RNDDH warn of harmful precedents— however for a political future, supporters say sure
Requires Muscadin to run for president are rising louder from the south to the north. Movies praising him flow into extensively on-line, and diaspora teams have begun fundraising for his operations.
He has acknowledged that “95%” of his safety sources are provided by the diaspora together with native companies.
“Muscadin is the one authority we belief,” a demonstrator mentioned Monday. “If the federal government touches him, Nippes will shut down.”
A fancy determine in a collapsing state
Born and raised in Les Cayes—the primary metropolis of Haiti’s Southern Division— within the late Nineteen Seventies, and a graduate of the city’s public regulation and economics college (EDSEC), Muscadin has over 20 years of expertise—each as a lawyer and a prosecutor. Although a controversial determine, he was appointed Miragoâne prosecutor by the late President Jovenel Moïse in 2019. He presents his actions as obligatory in a rustic overwhelmed by felony teams.
His appointment adopted a lethal assault try in opposition to Haitian Cardinal Chibly Langlois within the Nippes area, Muscadin mentioned on Pi Lwen Ke Zye, a chat present hosted by Haitian journalist Junior “Rigolo” Dorcin on social media. On the time, he added, Miragoâne’s close by city, Chalon, was stricken by insecurity.
“President Jovenel Moïse known as me, gave me weapons and monetary sources, and declared that the bandits, the criminals, needed to both die or depart the realm,” Muscadin confided.
“All people killed in Nippes are murderers, terrorists,” he usually says in response to his critics.
Nonetheless, Dary Noel, Muscadin’s spokesperson, instructed The Haitian Instances that the general public prosecutor has declined to touch upon the present BINUH report right now. “He prefers to let the individuals of Miragoâne communicate for him,” Noel mentioned briefly.
Whether or not seen as a protector or a violator of rights, Muscadin stands on the middle of Haiti’s battle to reconcile safety and legality. His rise exposes a defining reality: within the absence of functioning courts, prisons and police techniques, many Haitians are selecting order — even lethal order — over the rule of regulation.
As Haiti braces for additional instability, many Haitians argue that the query is now not solely whether or not Muscadin crossed authorized traces, however what his recognition reveals about the way forward for justice in a collapsing state.