For former Haitian Consul to the Dominican Republic and President of the Zile Foundation, Edwin Paraison, the empowerment of criminal gangs has its roots in the "Tét Kale" (PHTK) regime, led by former President Michel Martelly, who, according to him, turned crime into a political structure legitimized by the government.

"Martelly arrived as a legalized bandit, with his band and his rhetoric of defiance, and it ended up becoming a system of institutionalized banditry. It was the first time that crime was legalized in Haiti," Paraison said in an interview on the Dominican program Agenda (TV Sistema 11).

He recalled that Martelly's arrival in 2011 came in the wake of the 2010 earthquake tragedy and a "political decision from Washington" that altered the election results and propelled him to the second round. "That's when the deepest deterioration of our political life began," he lamented.

Paraison also warned that under this regime, the federation of criminal structures that now dominates the country has flourished. "Gang leaders no longer hide. They speak out on social media, give interviews, and operate in full view of everyone," he denounced, emphasizing the fact that some of these leaders retain political influence while the population suffers the consequences.

TB/ iciHaiti