PRESS STATEMENT
For immediate release February 17, 2026 No. 26/143 The Lorquet Foundation salutes the passing of the wife of the most famous of Cazale's 1969 martyrs, Élicia Éliazer, widow of Jérémy Éliazer — The Lorquet Foundation for a New Haiti (FOLONHA) learned with sadness of the death of Élycia Benoit-Éliazer, widow of Jérémy Éliazer, the most famous of Cazale's martyrs during the 1969 massacre.
By La Rédaction · Port-au-Prince
· 4 min read · Updated 24 April 2026
Translated from French — AI-assisted and reviewed by the editorial team. The French version is authoritative. Read the original · About our translation policy
For immediate release
February 17, 2026
No. 26/143 The Lorquet Foundation salutes the passing of the wife of the most famous of Cazale's 1969 martyrs, Élicia Éliazer, widow of Jérémy Éliazer — The Lorquet Foundation for a New Haiti (FOLONHA) learned with sadness of the death of Élycia Benoit-Éliazer, widow of Jérémy Éliazer, the most famous of Cazale's martyrs during the 1969 massacre. The Cazale massacre is a tragic episode in the history of Haiti, which occurred between March 27 and April 12, 1969, under the dictatorship of François Duvalier, known as « Papa Doc ». It took place in the village of Cazale, located in the 4th communal section of Cabaret, north of Port-au-Prince, where soldiers of the Haitian army and members of the Tontons Macoutes militia attacked the civilian population protesting against the regime. The outbreak of repression was partly linked to local political and social tensions: peasants and activists, particularly from the Parti d’Entente Populaire (PEP), had refused to pay taxes and opposed the authorities, and some resistors, such as Jérémy Éliazer — a former soldier —, Alix Lamaute and Roger Méhu, had hoisted the blue and red Haitian flag instead of the regime's black and red flag, as a sign of defiance. Shortly after, the Tontons Macoutes came looking for Éliazer and his companions, who had already escaped. On Saturday, April 5, new detachments composed of 500 soldiers and Tontons Macoutes arrived as reinforcements in Cazale and intensified the killing. By the end of the day, 25 bodies were found and about 80 other people were reported missing. People were buried alive. About thirty houses were looted and burned, and livestock was killed or stolen. Jérémy Éliazer's daughter, who lived with Agatha Belneau-Benoit in Port-au-Prince, was arrested and held for 24 hours, which allowed time for her father to be informed and to surrender. His mother, Élycia Benoit-Éliazer, seven months pregnant, was also imprisoned (she gave birth to her second daughter there). Jérémy Éliazer and Roger Méhu were taken to the Casernes Dessalines, from where they never returned. The Cazale massacre is the most significant to have occurred under the Duvalier regime. It remains one of the most violent episodes of the Duvalierist regime against civilians and political opponents, and it is commemorated annually by the population of Cazale and by local organizations as a symbol of resistance and a reminder of the abuses committed under Duvalier. Élicia Éliazer, widow of Jérémy, the most famous of Cazale's martyrs, lived a stone's throw from the massacre memorial built in 1999. With heavy steps, a weary voice, and deeply affected morale, she fought to keep the site clean. There stood her marital home, burned by zealous Duvalierists in April 1969. « My life stopped in 1969, » she used to say. « I lost my husband and a part of myself. I was also imprisoned. Since then, the landscape has become strange to me. I do a lot to preserve the memory of this event. But I can depart at any moment to the afterlife. And certainly a large part of Cazale's memory will disappear with me. » Élicia Benoit-Éliazer indeed lived with difficulty with the memory of her martyr husband, a memory that never faded from her mind until her death, which occurred on the morning of Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at the age of 87. In this sorrowful circumstance, the Lorquet Foundation for a New Haiti (FOLONHA) expresses its deep regrets and sincere sympathies to the community of Cazale, and extends its most heartfelt condolences to the relatives, loved ones, and friends of the widow Élycia Benoit-Éliazer, saddened by this passing. Created on April 12, 2010, after the earthquake of January 12, 2010, the Lorquet Foundation for a New Haiti (FOLONHA) aims to contribute to medical, educational, and social projects aimed at combating exclusion and isolation by fostering the creation and maintenance of social ties in the communities in which it operates. FOLONHA operates in four (4) areas: Education, Health, Social Services, and International Cooperation. Lorquet Foundation for a New Haiti (FOLONHA)
No. 26/143 The Lorquet Foundation salutes the passing of the wife of the most famous of Cazale's 1969 martyrs, Élicia Éliazer, widow of Jérémy Éliazer — The Lorquet Foundation for a New Haiti (FOLONHA) learned with sadness of the death of Élycia Benoit-Éliazer, widow of Jérémy Éliazer, the most famous of Cazale's martyrs during the 1969 massacre. The Cazale massacre is a tragic episode in the history of Haiti, which occurred between March 27 and April 12, 1969, under the dictatorship of François Duvalier, known as « Papa Doc ». It took place in the village of Cazale, located in the 4th communal section of Cabaret, north of Port-au-Prince, where soldiers of the Haitian army and members of the Tontons Macoutes militia attacked the civilian population protesting against the regime. The outbreak of repression was partly linked to local political and social tensions: peasants and activists, particularly from the Parti d’Entente Populaire (PEP), had refused to pay taxes and opposed the authorities, and some resistors, such as Jérémy Éliazer — a former soldier —, Alix Lamaute and Roger Méhu, had hoisted the blue and red Haitian flag instead of the regime's black and red flag, as a sign of defiance. Shortly after, the Tontons Macoutes came looking for Éliazer and his companions, who had already escaped. On Saturday, April 5, new detachments composed of 500 soldiers and Tontons Macoutes arrived as reinforcements in Cazale and intensified the killing. By the end of the day, 25 bodies were found and about 80 other people were reported missing. People were buried alive. About thirty houses were looted and burned, and livestock was killed or stolen. Jérémy Éliazer's daughter, who lived with Agatha Belneau-Benoit in Port-au-Prince, was arrested and held for 24 hours, which allowed time for her father to be informed and to surrender. His mother, Élycia Benoit-Éliazer, seven months pregnant, was also imprisoned (she gave birth to her second daughter there). Jérémy Éliazer and Roger Méhu were taken to the Casernes Dessalines, from where they never returned. The Cazale massacre is the most significant to have occurred under the Duvalier regime. It remains one of the most violent episodes of the Duvalierist regime against civilians and political opponents, and it is commemorated annually by the population of Cazale and by local organizations as a symbol of resistance and a reminder of the abuses committed under Duvalier. Élicia Éliazer, widow of Jérémy, the most famous of Cazale's martyrs, lived a stone's throw from the massacre memorial built in 1999. With heavy steps, a weary voice, and deeply affected morale, she fought to keep the site clean. There stood her marital home, burned by zealous Duvalierists in April 1969. « My life stopped in 1969, » she used to say. « I lost my husband and a part of myself. I was also imprisoned. Since then, the landscape has become strange to me. I do a lot to preserve the memory of this event. But I can depart at any moment to the afterlife. And certainly a large part of Cazale's memory will disappear with me. » Élicia Benoit-Éliazer indeed lived with difficulty with the memory of her martyr husband, a memory that never faded from her mind until her death, which occurred on the morning of Tuesday, February 17, 2026, at the age of 87. In this sorrowful circumstance, the Lorquet Foundation for a New Haiti (FOLONHA) expresses its deep regrets and sincere sympathies to the community of Cazale, and extends its most heartfelt condolences to the relatives, loved ones, and friends of the widow Élycia Benoit-Éliazer, saddened by this passing. Created on April 12, 2010, after the earthquake of January 12, 2010, the Lorquet Foundation for a New Haiti (FOLONHA) aims to contribute to medical, educational, and social projects aimed at combating exclusion and isolation by fostering the creation and maintenance of social ties in the communities in which it operates. FOLONHA operates in four (4) areas: Education, Health, Social Services, and International Cooperation. Lorquet Foundation for a New Haiti (FOLONHA)
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