Israel Approves West Bank Measures Expanding Settler Land Access 
Jack Lang Resigns as Head of Arab World Institute Amid Epstein Controversy 
U.S. Lawmakers to Review Unredacted Jeffrey Epstein DOJ Files Starting Monday 
Antonio José Seguro Poised for Landslide Win in Portugal Presidential Runoff 
New York Legalizes Medical Aid in Dying for Terminally Ill Patients 
Trump’s Inflation Claims Clash With Voters’ Cost-of-Living Reality 
Bosnian Serb Presidential Rerun Confirms Victory for Dodik Ally Amid Allegations of Irregularities 
Anutin’s Bhumjaithai Party Wins Thai Election, Signals Shift Toward Political Stability 
Ohio Man Indicted for Alleged Threat Against Vice President JD Vance, Faces Additional Federal Charges 
Trump Says “Very Good Talks” Underway on Russia-Ukraine War as Peace Efforts Continue 
Trump Slams Super Bowl Halftime Show Featuring Bad Bunny 
Bangladesh Election 2026: A Turning Point After Years of Political Suppression 
Trump Signs Executive Order Threatening 25% Tariffs on Countries Trading With Iran 
US Pushes Ukraine-Russia Peace Talks Before Summer Amid Escalating Attacks 
China Overturns Death Sentence of Canadian Robert Schellenberg, Signaling Thaw in Canada-China Relations 
Netanyahu to Meet Trump in Washington as Iran Nuclear Talks Intensify 
Taiwan Says Moving 40% of Semiconductor Production to the U.S. Is Impossible 
The nation of Haiti has experienced a surge of civil unrest as of late, along with changes in its government officials. While the nation has brought in a new leader for the country’s law enforcement in Frantz Elbe, human rights advocates have pointed out his history of police repression and abuse of human rights.
Elbe was appointed to lead the country’s police by the new Haitian interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry last month to replace the interim Police Director Leon Charles who resigned less than a year into the role. While Elbe pledged to combat the nation’s crime problems amidst a time when a surge in gang violence, kidnappings, and fuel shortage, The Miami Herald reports that Elbe would also find his past getting in the way of his efforts.
Human rights activists in Haiti are accusing Elbe of involvement in police repression and human rights abuses in the early 2000s. Elbe is also being accused of having ties to the gang leader and kidnapper of the Croix-des-Bouquets area, Jean Elie “Ti Elie” Muller, as well as being the godfather to his son. Muller died in 2008 of a gunshot wound during his arrest by the Haitian police for his alleged involvement in kidnappings, including a kidnapping murder of a 20-year-old student.
“We at the National Human Rights Defense Network have our concerns over the appointment of Frantz Elbe,” said advocate Rosy Auguste Ducena, citing a legal complaint dating March 29, 2004, accusing Elbe of involvement in the disappearance of three anti-government activists.
“He was a police commissioner and occupied various posts. At another moment he was a departmental director. All of this shows that even though he was implicated in human rights allegations, he managed to make a career inside the police institution.”
Among the recent kidnappings was that of a group made up of 17 Christian missionaries from the United States and Canada. The group was kidnapped by a gang in Port-au-Prince as they were leaving an orphanage. The US State Department previously said that they were looking into the situation.
Officials from the US have been coordinating with Haitian officials in getting back the missionaries.
