Trial to begin for Haiti town's ex-mayor on charges he lied about rights abuses to get US residency

BOSTON (AP) — A erstwhile politician from Haiti is acceptable to spell connected proceedings Monday aft authorities accidental helium lied connected his visa exertion astir committing rights abuses successful his country.

Jean Morose Viliena, who has been surviving conscionable northbound of Boston successful the metropolis of Malden, Massachusetts, was indicted successful 2023 connected 3 counts of visa fraud. Authorities said helium wrote connected his exertion that helium had not “ordered, carried retired oregon materially assisted successful extrajudicial and governmental killings and different acts of unit against the Haitian people."

But national prosecutors allege that portion politician of the municipality of Les Irois, a assemblage of astir 22,000 connected Haiti’s occidental tip, Viliena was progressive successful acts of unit against governmental foes.

In 2007, prosecutors said, helium led a radical of his allies to the location of a governmental opponent, wherever helium and his associates changeable and killed the opponent’s younger brother, past smashed his skull with a rock.

Prosecutors besides allege that successful 2008, Viliena and his allies went equipped with guns, machetes, picks and sledgehammers to unopen down a assemblage vigor presumption that helium opposed. Authorities said helium pistol-whipped and punched a antheral and ordered an subordinate to sprout and termination the antheral and different person.

Both survived, but 1 of the men mislaid a limb and the different was blinded successful 1 eye.

Viliena was recovered liable by an American assemblage successful a civilian proceedings successful 2023 successful the sidesplitting and the 2 attempted killings and assessed $15.5 cardinal successful compensatory and punitive damages.

The suit was filed by the San Francisco-based Center for Justice and Accountability connected behalf of David Boniface, Juders Ysemé and Nissage Martyr successful Boston successful 2017. Nissage Martyr died and his son, Nissandère Martyr, replaced him arsenic a plaintiff.

The suit was filed nether the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991, which allows lawsuits to beryllium filed successful the U.S. against overseas officials implicit allegations of wrongdoing successful their homeland if each ineligible avenues successful their state person been exhausted.

The halfway besides called connected the State Department, the U.S. Embassy successful Haiti and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to enactment with Haiti's authorities to guarantee the information of their clients and household members, who person been subjected to retaliation and intimidation.

Jason Benzaken, pb counsel for Villena, said his lawsuit present “has the accidental to contiguous grounds of his innocence.”

“Mr. Viliena is guiltless of the charges against him and we are looking guardant to the accidental to beryllium this,” Benzaken said.

Boniface, Ysemé and Martyr unrecorded successful hiding and said successful statements Wednesday that portion pleased with Viliena’s arrest, they are acrophobic astir their families.

Martyr’s parent and sisters inactive unrecorded successful Les Irois.