Roger Lafontant

Roger Lafontant (1931– 29 September 1991) was the former leader of the Tonton Macoutes and a former minister in the government of Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier. He was the leader of an attempted coup d'état in January 1991, an effort which ultimately led to his death.

Early life As a student studying to become a gynecologist, he founded the student branch of the Tontons Macoutes, a paramilitary organization which supported the dictatorship of President François Duvalier and his son Jean-Claude Duvalier.

Duvalier era In November 1972, he became Minister of the Interior and National Defense. Jean-Claude Duvalier then demoted him because of Lafontant’s personal ambitions. He was then sent as consul to Montreal, Canada.

The international community and the Organization of American States condemned the attempt to overthrow the provisional government of Haiti. The day of the coup, the OAS Permanent Council held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation in Haiti and decided to support the interim government. Some 75 people were killed and over 150 others were injured in the violence that erupted in Port-au-Prince during the attempted coup. Lafontant was arrested with a dozen accomplices, soldiers, and militia members of the Tontons Macoutes.

In 1994, his wife, Gladys (who moved to Queens), filed a lawsuit against Aristide (then in exile in the US) where she alleged that Aristide had personally ordered the execution of Lafontant immediately prior to his fleeing to Venezuela. The military junta charged Aristide with the assassination. As the US still recognized Aristide as the lawful President of Haiti and he thus enjoyed head-of-state immunity, Gladys's lawsuit was dismissed.