Former Haitian lawmaker Arnel Bélizaire arrested days after registering political party

Haitian police arrested former lawmaker Arnel Bélizaire on Saturday in Pétion-Ville, two days after he appeared before the Provisional Electoral Council to register a new political party for the country’s 2026 elections.

According to authorities, Bélizaire had been a fugitive for about two months and was wanted on charges including financing terrorism, criminal association and conspiracy against state security. Agents from the Central Directorate of the Judicial Police arrested him at the restaurant of the Hotel Oasis, an upscale suburb less than 10 miles from downtown Port-au-Prince.

The arrest comes as Haiti faces one of the worst security crises in its history, with armed groups controlling large sections of the capital and expanding their influence. National and international officials have increasingly linked some political figures to gang financing and alliances.

Bélizaire had appeared before the electoral council on March 12 to submit documents registering his political party, the “Liberation Platform,” ahead of the planned elections. His appearance drew attention because police had already issued a wanted notice for him months earlier, yet he had not been arrested.

The electoral body registered 110 political parties on the final day of the process alone, bringing the total number of registered organizations to 320. That figure includes 210 groups registered earlier during the process, which began March 2. The council is expected to publish the final list of qualified entities on March 26 under the country’s electoral calendar.

Haiti’s schedule sets the first round of voting for Aug. 30, 2026, with a second round planned for Dec. 5.

Bélizaire previously represented the Delmas/Tabarre district after winning election to Parliament in 2011. He has dismissed the recent arrest warrant as political intimidation, saying in February that judicial police had never summoned him for questioning before issuing the notice.

Long record of legal troubles

Bélizaire has faced repeated legal issues over more than a decade, including multiple prison stints and escapes.

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He was first arrested in 2004 on charges including illegal weapons possession and conspiracy and was held at the National Penitentiary. He escaped from prison in 2005 while awaiting trial but was recaptured later that year before escaping again during a jailbreak following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Despite his status as an escaped inmate, Bélizaire later ran for office and was elected to Parliament in a March 2011 runoff election as a member of the Veye Yo political party. That same year he was arrested again after police identified his name on a list of inmates who had escaped prison. He was released shortly afterward after fellow lawmakers argued he was protected by parliamentary immunity.

Since then, Bélizaire has remained a controversial figure in Haitian politics, including public confrontations with former president Michel Martelly and threats directed at the late president Jovenel Moïse.

In November 2019, authorities arrested him again on charges including arms trafficking and sedition, crimes that carry a minimum 15-year prison sentence. He was released in 2021 after an investigating judge dropped the charges.

In September 2025, the United States imposed sanctions on Bélizaire and former Haitian senator Antonio “Don Kato” Chéramy, accusing them of corruption while holding public office.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Haiti, the sanctions make Bélizaire, Chéramy and their immediate family members ineligible to enter the United States.

“Bélizaire and Chéramy abused their positions by interfering in the public processes of the Haitian government,” the embassy said in a statement at the time.

“These corrupt and harmful acts have had serious consequences for U.S. national interests by further destabilizing Haiti’s institutions and processes.”