Blood on his hands, votes in his future? Muscadin’s popularity surges as UN accuses him of extrajudicial killings 

Editor’s note: Fritznel D. Octave, Haiti editor for The Haitian Times, contributed to this reporting.

A new United Nations report accusing Miragoâne Public Prosecutor Jean Ernest Muscadin of carrying out extrajudicial executions has reignited a national debate over justice and survival in Haiti. The allegations come as Muscadin’s popularity surges, fueling public calls for him to seek higher office—even as questions about his methods intensify.

According to the report produced by the UN Integrated Office in Haiti (BINUH) and published last week, at least 28 summary executions documented within the last two quarters were attributed directly to Muscadin. The finding adds to years of complaints from human rights organizations, notably the National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH), which has long accused him of leading a “parallel justice system” in the Nippes region.

“During the quarter [July-September 2025], one case involving the Public Prosecutor of Miragoâne, Jean Ernest Muscadin, was documented,” the UN report stated. 

“The incident occurred on July 23  in the commune of Miragoâne (Nippes Department), when an armed man was shot dead by him. In the previous quarter, this  prosecutor executed 27 people, with complete impunity.”

Yet as international pressure grows, so too does Muscadin’s stature among ordinary Haitians who see him not as a rogue official, but as the only state actor who has — in their view — delivered tangible security.

In a country where gangs control more than 90% of the capital and are expanding their grip on several provincial towns — thousands of prisoners have escaped during repeated jail breakouts, and the justice system is nearly paralyzed — many residents say the UN’s concerns miss the reality they live in.

A prosecutor with blood on his hands or the only one stopping gang expansion?

Despite allegations of unlawful killings, Muscadin’s supporters describe him as the only figure who has kept southern Haiti impenetrable to gangs at a time when state institutions have collapsed.

Residents of the Nippes Department, particularly Miragoâne—less than 80 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, refer to him as “Komisè pèp la” — “the people’s prosecutor.”

Many credit him with preventing feared coalitions like Viv Ansanm and G9 gangs from entering the region, even as gangs have overrun the capital, parts of Artibonite and the Centre department.

“He is our security,” protesters chanted on Nov. 17 as thousands marched through Miragoâne, shutting down schools and businesses to denounce the UN report and demand that Muscadin remain in office. They vowed to continue their protest until Thursday.

A huge crowd of people danced in the streets amid a carnival-like atmosphere. “Si w manyen Muscadin, wap boule” — “If you touch Muscadin, you will get burned,” many sang together over the loud music. 

Throughout their march, protesters—mostly young people in their 20s and 30s— also threw slogans challenging gangs to step onto the Nippes Department’s land.

Similar protests have occurred repeatedly whenever accusations of abuse surface against Muscadin.

The diaspora, especially in South Florida, New York, Montreal and Paris, has amplified the movement, praising him constantly on social media for “doing what the government has failed to do.”

Judicial vacuum fuels support for hardline figures

Muscadin’s rise underscores a deeper crisis: Haiti’s justice system, weakened by political instability, chronic underfunding and attacks on courthouses, is barely functioning.

• Haiti’s jails operate at over 300% capacity.
• More than 80% of detainees are held indefinitely without trial.
• Court buildings in Port-au-Prince, Croix-des-Bouquets and Mirebalais have been destroyed or abandoned.
• Prosecutors and judges frequently flee the country under threat of reprisal.

Against this backdrop, Muscadin’s insistence that “bandits will either die or leave Nippes” resonates with a public that feels abandoned.

“When justice collapses, people turn to whoever can protect them,” said a legal expert in Port-au-Prince who requested anonymity for his safety.

The UN and RNDDH warn of dangerous precedents— but for a political future, supporters say yes

Calls for Muscadin to run for president are growing louder from the south to the north. Videos praising him circulate widely online, and diaspora groups have begun fundraising for his operations.

He has acknowledged that “95%” of his security resources are supplied by the diaspora along with local businesses.

“Muscadin is the only authority we trust,” a demonstrator said Monday. “If the government touches him, Nippes will shut down.”

A complex figure in a collapsing state

Born and raised in Les Cayes—the main city of Haiti’s Southern Department— in the late 1970s, and a graduate of the town’s public law and economics school (EDSEC), Muscadin has over two decades of experience—both as a lawyer and a prosecutor. Though a controversial figure, he was appointed Miragoâne prosecutor by the late President Jovenel Moïse in 2019. He presents his actions as necessary in a country overwhelmed by criminal groups.

His appointment followed a deadly attack attempt against Haitian Cardinal Chibly Langlois in the Nippes region, Muscadin said on Pi Lwen Ke Zye, a talk show hosted by  Haitian journalist Junior “Rigolo” Dorcin on social media. At the time, he added, Miragoâne’s nearby town, Chalon, was plagued by insecurity.

“President Jovenel Moïse called me, gave me weapons and financial resources, and declared that the bandits, the criminals, had to either die or leave the area,” Muscadin confided.

“All individuals killed in Nippes are murderers, terrorists,” he often says in response to his critics.

However, Dary Noel, Muscadin’s spokesperson, told The Haitian Times that the public prosecutor has declined to comment on the current BINUH report at this time. “He prefers to let the people of Miragoâne speak for him,” Noel said briefly.

Whether viewed as a protector or a violator of rights, Muscadin stands at the center of Haiti’s struggle to reconcile security and legality. His rise exposes a defining truth: in the absence of functioning courts, prisons and police systems, many Haitians are choosing order — even deadly order — over the rule of law.

As Haiti braces for further instability, many Haitians argue that the question is no longer only whether Muscadin crossed legal lines, but what his popularity reveals about the future of justice in a collapsing state.

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