Colombians detained in Haiti for presidential assassination say they are forced to defecate on floor

The 18 former Colombian soldiers currently detained in Haiti for their alleged participation in the assassination of President Jovenel Moise said on Thursday that they were recently held for 72 hours in inhumane conditions.

In a video released across social media, the mercenaries said they were locked up for 72 hours without food, running water or a toilet.

“We had to defecate on the floor. Please, everyone, this is a call for help. We are innocent,” the men said.

According to El Colombiano, the former soldiers have been held for more than 10 months without the right to an attorney or any other legal protections. They have yet to be charged with a crime.

In response to the complaint, the Colombian Foreign Ministry revealed that officials from the consulate in Haiti visited the prison where the ex-military personnel are being held. According to embassy officials, the detainees were in good health.

"The Colombian nationals expressed fear for a possible riot in the prison, a situation that was brought to the attention of the director of the National Penitentiary of Port-au-Prince. Colombian consular authorities remain attentive to the case," the government agency said.

More than 40 people, including 15 Colombians and Americans of Haitian origin, have been arrested in connection with the investigation.

#NOTICIAS | EL ESTADO los abandonó, a los militares colombianos presos en #Haití por el magnicidio del presidente de ese país. Los visitaron los primeros días para prometerles asesoría juridica, y ahora aguantan hambre en prisión, sin que nadie los escuche.#OasisMagazineCol pic.twitter.com/C1r3ACq9az

— @OasisMagazineCOL (@OasisMagazineco) May 25, 2022

They were deceived 

Sergeant Edwin Blanquiset Rodriguez, told Colombian media that his team was “deceived” and claimed they had been “abandoned” by the government.

According to Blanquiset, he had been hired to provide security to Haitian politician and doctor Emmanuel Sanon – far from the residence of deceased President Jovenel Moïse. On the day of the assassination, he claims to have received a call from one of his superiors telling him that a police officer would soon stop by to pick up the team.

"El policía llegó con una camioneta y nos preguntó si éramos nosotros los que íbamos a realizar el acompañamiento. Subimos a una camioneta y nos llevaron a una casa en una montaña. Cuando llegamos allí había más policías -de Haití- (...) Nunca hicimos las cosas solos, nunca planeamos las cosas solos, sólo la Policía nos pidió el apoyo de un acompañamiento", dijo el ex militar a La FM.

"The police officer arrived in a van and asked us if we were the body guards. When we arrived, there were more Haitian police officers. We never did anything alone. We never planned anything alone. The police only told us that we were to act as backup,” he told La FM.

The former soldier also reported that he and his team received weapons from the Haitian police and were told that they had been tasked with capturing Moïse.

"According to the police, they had an arrest warrant for the president (...) It was almost two in the morning when we came down from the mountain in seven vehicles. I was in the last one; we went down towards the president's house to make the capture,” he added before noting that the team soon began to suspect something was off.

The Colombian nationals also claimed that they have not been allowed to obtain a lawyer and have yet to stand before a court.

"To date we have not been informed of the reason for our detention, nor of our rights as detainees," they noted.