Monday, April 7, 2025, commemorates the 222nd anniversary of the death of Toussaint Louverture, imprisoned at Fort de Joux in Doubs (Savoie, France), located at an altitude of 1,000 meters.

It should be remembered that Toussaint Louverture, a hero of independence, was imprisoned there on the orders of Napoleon Bonaparte for having opposed the reestablishment of black slavery by force of arms. Bonaparte's orders specified that Toussaint Louverture "must receive appropriate treatment and be adequately clothed and heated." However, the mountain climate remained unbearable for an already ill Caribbean man. Toussaint Louverture died in his 6.50m x 3.90m cell on April 7, 1803, five months after his arrival and before Haiti's independence.

This ceremony, marked by contemplation took place in the presence of Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, Fritz Alphonse Jean, President pro tempore of the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT), members of the CPT, Jean-Joseph Lebrun, President of the Court of Cassation, government ministers, Normil Rameau, Acting Director General of the Haitian National Police, and Derby Guerrier, Acting Lieutenant General of the Haitian Armed Forces (FAd'H).

The Prime Minister praised the indelible legacy of Toussaint Louverture, "the embodiment of courage, foresight, and the fight for freedom. The memory of this historical giant remains, today more than ever, a guiding light for Haiti, illuminating both its present and its future."

In his speech, Fritz Alphonse Jean issued a solemn appeal to all the country's children to believe in the ideals of their ancestors. In this sense, the Presidential Transitional Council is committed to following in the footsteps of the Heroes in order to give the country a new direction.

In Cap-Haïtien, Mayor Yvrose Pierre traveled to Haut du Cap on Monday to take part in a solemn tribute ceremony to the precursor of independence. A wreath was laid at the foot of the monument erected in memory of this illustrious figure in the struggle for freedom, followed by a moment of silence in his honor. Several dignitaries attended the ceremony.

In France, a delegation from the Embassy of Haiti, led by Chargé d'Affaires Louino Volcy, took part in the wreath-laying ceremony organized by the Toussaint Louverture Pilgrimage organization at the memorial erected on the eastern slope of Fort de Joux.

Louino Volcy spoke alongside the President of the Grand Pontarlier Community of Communes, Patrick Genre, Member of Parliament Éric Liégeon, and the Sub-Prefect of Pontarlier, Mr. Nicolas Onimus.

In his speech, Volcy emphasized the symbolic significance of his presence at this important site of memory and history, the Château de Joux. He paid tribute to the life, work, and struggle of Toussaint Louverture, who paved the way for Haiti's independence, proclaimed on January 1st, 1804. He paid his respects in Toussaint Louverture's cold and damp cell, which recalls the tragic fate of this great strategist, skilled politician, and symbol of freedom who inscribed the Haitian Revolution in the history of universal civilization.

SL/ S/ HaitiLibre