PORT AU PRINCE, Haiti, CMC – Former Prime Minister of Haiti, Claude Joseph is calling on the government to sanction at least 53 prominent nationals from the Dominican Republic, including President Luis Abinader, after the Spanish-speaking country banned 39 Haitians from entering the country.

Joseph, who served as prime minister between the period April 14 to July 20, 2021, and is among individuals banned from entering the neighbouring country, wrote on his Twitter account on Sunday that he had presented a list to the government of Prime Minister Dr Ariel Henry to sanction the 53 Dominicans.

The list includes President Abinader as well as former presidents Leonel Fernández and Hipólito Mejía as well as the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfredo Pacheco, and the President of the Constitutional Court, Milton Ray Guevera.

Joseph is urging the Haitian authorities to “please sanction the Dominican personalities” for being a threat to the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country, spreading hate speech, racist behaviour and discriminatory practices against Haitians.

In addition he alleges that the Dominican Republic is engaged in the “systematic violation of the human rights of Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic; massive, inhuman and blind deportations against Haitians”.

He quoted sections of the Haitian constitution which he said provide the President of Haiti as being the guarantor of national independence and territorial integrity

He also noted that section 149 provides that “in the event of the vacancy of the Presidency of the Republic either by resignation, dismissal, death or in the event of duly established permanent physical or mental incapacity, the Council of Ministers, under the chairmanship of the prime minister, exercises the Executive Power until the election of another president.”

Joseph said that Henry fills that role given the assassination of President Jovenel Moise in July 2021.