Matthieu Prosper Avril (born December 12, 1937) is a Haitian political figure who was President of Haiti from 1988 to 1990. A trusted member of François Duvalier's presidential guard and adviser to Jean-Claude Duvalier, Lt. Gen. Avril led the September 1988 Haitian coup d'état against a transition military government installed after Jean-Claude Duvalier's 1986 overthrow. He was president until March 1990, in a period which according to Amnesty International was "marred by serious human rights violations". He was arrested in 2001, but released in March 2004 after the 2004 Haitian coup d'état overthrew Jean-Bertrand Aristide.
Background
Avril was born in the small town of Thomazeau, near Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince. He joined the army, and graduated at the head of his class in the academy. His wife was a nurse.
Avril served as President of Haiti from September 17, 1988 He initially raised goodwill by meeting with social and religious leaders and appointing a civilian cabinet. He also restored the 1987 Constitution of Haiti in March 1989. However, the U.S. government required Avril to crack down on drug trafficking in exchange for foreign aid; his arrests of involved army members dented his popularity. Avril put down a coup attempt by disgruntled officers in April 1989.
After mass public protests, Avril transferred power to the army chief of staff, Gen. Hérard Abraham, on March 10, 1990. Avril went into exile in Miami, Florida; he moved to the Dominican Republic after he was refused entry into Haiti in 1992. He returned to Haiti in 1993. He fled again in 1995 after the Haitian government moved to arrest him in connection with the assassination of a government official during his time in power. He was finally arrested in 2001, shortly after Jean-Bertrand Aristide was elected president, for allegedly plotting against the state. Avril was released in 2002 after an appeals court ruled that the government presented "insufficient evidence"; he was immediately rearrested and charged with organizing a 1990 massacre of farmers.
Miami
At the time Aristide came to power, Prosper Avril lived in Miami <!-- under an assumed name --> despite the fact that he would be easily recognizable. This high-profile also made him the target of rumors, and so when two Haitian radio journalists were assassinated during the first weeks and month after Aristide took power, Avril became the target of rumors that declared his involvement. He recounts this experience in his book, An Appeal to History: The Truth about a Singular Lawsuit.
Publications in English
- An Appeal to History: The Truth about a Singular Lawsuit. Universal-Publishers, 1999.
- Haiti (1995–2000): The Black Book on Insecurity. Universal-Publishers, 2004.
- Justice Versus Politics in Haiti (2001–2004). Universal-Publishers, 2007.
See also
- List of heads of state of Haiti