Haitian political leader Eric Jean Baptiste fatally shot
CBSNov 24, 2022
Haitian Party Leader and Lottery Magnate Assassinated
Image copyright: Reuters [via The Washington Post]
The Facts
On Friday, Eric Jean Baptiste, a Haitian center-left party leader and lottery business magnate, was shot and killed when his armored vehicle was ambushed in a suspected gang attack in Port-au-Prince. A bodyguard was also killed in the attack.
Haiti's PM Ariel Henry stated that the tragic assassination "has once again plunged the Haitian nation into turmoil." He also condemned "this heinous crime against this patriot, this moderate politician committed to change."
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
Foreign powers are to blame for the ongoing crisis in Haiti — criminal gangs are in cahoots with the illegitimate, US-puppet regime with the aim of provoking chaos and prompting another imperialist intervention. Haitians are fed up with foreign occupations and must be allowed to find a concrete solution for themselves as a sovereign people.
Pro-establishment narrative
This killing shows that the situation in Haiti is deteriorating out of control, with gang-related violence affecting even the nation's ability to sustain normal activities. The only way to prevent the country from soon becoming a failed state is to suspend its national sovereignty and put the nation under the custody of international governance on behalf of the UN.