May 6, 2025
On April 17, 2025, the Transitional Presidential Council (TPC) commemorated the bicentennial of King Charles X’s decree that imposed a crippling ransom on Haiti in exchange for its freedom. “It was a means of punishing Haiti for having opened the door to liberty for humanity,” declared TPC President Fritz Alphonse Jean, referring to the demand for 150 million gold francs.
This ransom—equivalent to nearly $21 billion today—choked Haiti’s economy at its inception, stifling national development. Historians note that Haiti was forced to borrow from French banks to pay the enormous sum, plunging the young nation into a cycle of debt that lasted until 1947.
Leslie Voltaire, Presidential Counselor of the TPC, issued a clear appeal to the international community: “The restitution of this ransom and reparations for the crimes of slavery are a moral imperative.” His call echoes previous statements by French President Emmanuel Macron, who has encouraged a new partnership between France and Haiti, though without taking concrete steps toward reparations.
The Haitian government has now formalized the creation of a National Committee for Restitution and Reparations, led by the State University of Haiti (UEH in French) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Historian and activist Gusti-Klara Gaillard will represent Haiti in negotiations with France, renewing hopes for long-overdue justice.
From 1825 to the present, the ransom has been widely cited as a major factor in Haiti’s political and economic fragility, contributing to its chronic instability. The TPC has vowed to take the case to the international stage, demanding justice for what it calls a colonial “economic crime.”
While the Élysée Palace issued a symbolic statement to mark the bicentennial, Haiti refuses to let history fade. “Let us work in the light of the sacrifice of our ancestors,” said Fritz Alphonse Jean. Two centuries later, the quest for justice remains more urgent than ever.
