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Pétion-Ville, Haiti, August 18, 2025 – Businessman, attorney, and former presidential candidate Joseph Harry Bretous was gunned down on Sunday evening, August 17, in Pèlerin 2, a neighborhood of Pétion-Ville. According to reports, armed men on a motorcycle opened fire on his vehicle, fatally wounding him as he attempted to drive through the area. He was later pronounced dead after being rushed to a hospital.
The killing of Bretous, who was set to turn 68 this week, has sent shockwaves through Haiti’s fragile political and social climate. Many observers now fear the rise of a new pattern where high-profile figures, from political leaders to prominent businessmen, are targeted with chilling precision.
This recalls the assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021, a crime that stunned the international community and exposed the deep fractures within Haiti’s security and political systems. While Moïse’s murder remains unresolved, the attack on Bretous raises unsettling questions about whether Haiti is entering a dangerous cycle where influential figures are systematically eliminated.
Bretous was more than a businessman. He had spent decades in law, commerce, and politics, including a presidential bid in 2015 under the political banner “Konbit Pou Ayiti.” His slogan, “Ann Mete Ayiti Kanpe” (“Let’s Lift Haiti Up Together”), reflected his vision of a stronger, more democratic state. Beyond politics, he served as president of Entreprises Haïti Shipping for nearly three decades and founded the Harry Bretous Foundation in 2005, which provided humanitarian support, particularly in the aftermath of the 2021 earthquake.
But Bretous’s assassination has also drawn attention to the recurring tragedies that have plagued his family. In 2020, his son faced serious criminal charges in a widely publicized double-murder case and later died in prison in 2021 under controversial circumstances. With this latest killing, the Bretous name is once again at the center of national conversation, this time as a symbol of the escalating risks faced by Haiti’s elites.
The question now facing the Haitian public is not just who killed Joseph Harry Bretous, but whether his murder signals a broader shift in the country’s climate of violence. If Jovenel Moïse’s assassination was the first alarm bell, Bretous’s killing may be further proof that those in positions of influence, whether political or economic, can no longer rely on protection.
Haiti has long struggled with gang violence, corruption, and weak institutions, but the targeting of high-profile individuals adds a new and troubling layer. For many, Bretous’s murder is not an isolated tragedy, it is part of a disturbing pattern that could redefine the dangers of public life in Haiti.
Asasinay Joseph Harry Bretous Bay Kè Sote sou Yon Nouvo Modèl nan Ayiti
Pétion-Ville, Ayiti, 18 Out 2025 – Biznisman, avoka ak ansyen kandida prezidansyèl Joseph Harry Bretous te asasinen nan aswè dimanch 17 Out nan Pèlerin 2, yon katye nan Pétion-Ville. Dapre rapò yo, mesye ame ki t ap monte motosiklèt louvri kout zam sou machin li, yo frape l ak bal pandan l t ap kondi nan zòn nan. Yo te kouri mennen l lopital kote yo te deklare l mouri.
Lanmò Bretous, ki t ap selebre 68yèm anivèsè nesans li semèn sa a, voye yon gwo chòk nan klima politik ak sosyal ki deja frajil nan peyi a. Anpil obsèvatè kounye a pè wè parèt yon nouvo modèl kote gwo figi piblik, soti nan lidè politik rive nan gwo biznisman, ap tounen sib ak presizyon ki fè moun tranble.
Sa fè sonje asasinay ansyen Prezidan Jovenel Moïse nan mwa Jiyè 2021, yon krim ki te sezi kominote entènasyonal la epi ki te mete tout feblès sistèm sekirite ak politik Ayiti a an limyè. Malgre asasina Moïse la poko janm rezoud, atak sou Bretous la leve kesyon ki bay kè sote sou si wi ou non Ayiti antre nan yon sik danjere kote gwo pèsonalite ap elimine youn apre lòt.
Bretous te plis pase yon biznisman. Li te pase plizyè dizèn ane nan domèn lalwa, komès ak politik, ladan yo yon kous prezidansyèl an 2015 anba drapo politik “Konbit Pou Ayiti.” Slogan li, “Ann Mete Ayiti Kanpe,” te reflete vizyon li pou yon Leta pi solid ak plis demokratik. Anplis politik, li te sèvi kòm prezidan “Entreprises Haïti Shipping” pandan prèske trant ane epi li te fonde “Fondation Harry Bretous” an 2005 pou bay èd imanitè, sitou apre tranbleman tè 2021 an.
Men asasina Bretous la fè limyè tou sou trajedi ki kontinye frape fanmi li. An 2020, youn nan pitit gason l te jwenn gwo akizasyon kriminèl nan yon ka doub asasinay ki te fè anpil bri, epi li te mouri nan prizon an 2021 nan sikonstans ki toujou kontwovèsyal. Avèk asasina sa a, non Bretous retounen nan mitan konvèsasyon nasyonal la, fwa sa a kòm yon senbòl risk ki ap ogmante pou elit ayisyen yo.
Kounye a kesyon ki poze nan sosyete ayisyèn nan se pa sèlman kiyès ki touye Joseph Harry Bretous, men èske lanmò li make yon etap pi wo nan klima vyolans peyi a. Si asasina Jovenel Moïse te premye son klòch la, lanmò Bretous la ka sèvi kòm prèv ke moun ki gen enfliyans, swa nan politik oswa nan ekonomi, pa gen okenn garanti pwoteksyon ankò.
Ayiti toujou ap lite ak vyolans gang, koripsyon ak enstitisyon ki fèb, men lefèt ke yo vize pèsonalite gwo plimay mete yon lòt kouch danjere sou sitiyasyon an. Pou anpil moun, lanmò Bretous la pa yon trajedi izole, li se yon pati nan yon modèl ki bay kè sote e ki kapab redefine risk lavi piblik nan peyi a.
