Lt. Col. Jean-Claude Paul (1938–39 – 7 November 1988) was a

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

an military officer alleged to have been involved in the illegal drug trade in Haiti. He was indicted by a Miami court on 10 March 1988 for allegedly trafficking cocaine. IACHR
REPORT ON THE SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS IN HAITI
, OEA/Ser.L/V/II.74 doc. 9 rev. 1, 7 September 1988 Paul's battalion was responsible for security in

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( ; ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Haiti, most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 1,200,000 in 2022 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The me ...

. The ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' wrote that "Witnesses say it was his troops who opened fired several times on street protesters during the summer of 1987, killing more than 30 people. To what extent his troops took part in the killing that halted elections in Haiti last fall is unclear. But his soldiers did not provide protection then or during an attack on a Roman Catholic church in Port-au-Prince this month." Paul was commander of the Dessalines barracks until 14 June 1988, when he was transferred by

Henri Namphy Henri Namphy (; 2 October 1932 – 26 June 2018) was a Haitian general and political figure who served as President of Haiti's interim ruling body, the National Council of Government, from 7 February 1986 to 7 February 1988. He served again as P ...

(as part of a number of military reassignments by Namphy) to army headquarters and made Assistant Head of the General Staff. Paul telephoned President

Leslie Manigat Leslie François Saint Roc Manigat (; August 16, 1930 – June 27, 2014) was a Haitian politician who was elected as President of Haiti in a tightly controlled military held election in January 1988. He served as President for only a few months, ...

to protest the move, and the following day Manigat issued a statement cancelling the changes, and saying that he, as constitutional head of the army, had not been consulted. On 19 June Manigat retired Namphy, saying he had been preparing a coup. On 20 June Namphy ousted Manigat in the

June 1988 Haitian coup d'état The June 1988 Haitian coup d'état took place on 20 June 1988, when Henri Namphy overthrew Leslie Manigat. IACHRReport on the situation of human rights in Haiti, OEA/Ser.L/V/II.74 doc. 9 rev. 1, 7 September 1988 Manigat, who won the military-co ...

, declaring himself President with Col. Jean-Claude Paul at his side. Paul was found dead in his home in suburban La Boule, Haiti on 7 November 1988. He was 49 years old and is believed to have been poisoned.

References

Haitian military personnel 1988 deaths Year of birth uncertain {{NorthAm-mil-bio-stub