Haitian-Venezuelan Politician and Solidarity Activist Assassinated Outside of Caracas
Haitian-Venezuelan political leader and solidarity activist Fritz Saint Louis, 54, was shot dead in his home by masked gunman on Saturday evening.
Caracas, March 28, 2016 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Haitian-Venezuelan political leader and solidarity activist Fritz Saint Louis, 54, was shot dead in his home by masked gunman on Saturday evening.
According to a statement by the Public Prosecutor’s office, Saint Louis was reportedly inside his home located on the outskirts of Caracas in Santa Lucia del Tuy, “when a group of armed men entered and, without a word, shot the politician various times, causing his immediate death.”
Saint Louis’ son, Louis Nervil Fritz Jr., 23, was also injured in the incident, suffering a shot to the arm.
Two suspects in the case, Victor Jose Cisneros (22) and Henry Anthony Torrealba (23), reportedly died in a shootout with police on Sunday afternoon, while three others were arrested by authorities. Police recovered two 16mm shotguns without serial numbers alleged to have been used in the murder.
Saint Louis arrived in Venezuela in 1985 as a political refugee fleeing the US-backed Duvalier dictatorship.
The Haitian-Venezuelan activist dedicated his life to forging bonds of solidarity between the Bolivarian Revolution and his Caribbean homeland, founding the Solidarity Committee with Haiti and serving as international coordinator for the United Haitian Socialist Movement, as well as secretary-general of the Haitian-Bolivarian Culture House of Venezuela.
Saint Louis was also a distinguished leader in Venezuela’s Bolivarian process, running as candidate in the parliamentary primaries held by the United Socialist Party of Venezuela last June.
He had previously been outspoken about the human trafficking of Haitians to Venezuela.
A public prosecutor has been assigned to the case who will be charged with coordinating the investigation alongside forensic police.
The murder comes just 48 hours after the assassination of a Tupamaro lawmaker in Tachira state on Thursday night, which has been decried as a politically-motivated killing perpetrated by alleged paramilitaries.
