Haiti assassination suspects wait in limbo, with family members left in the dark

In Colombia, families of the men, who marque up the bulk of the 26 detained suspects, person banded unneurotic to rise funds for lawyers.

"It doesn't look similar he's been beaten oregon anything, it looks similar he's successful bully health, but they've lone seen him that 1 time," said Steven Bross, a person of Sanon who has spoken with his household successful Florida.

Due process rights for prisoners person agelong been anemic successful Haiti, wherever years of autocratic enactment person eroded the checks connected powerfulness much acquainted successful developed countries.

As authorities determination urgently question an mentation for the shocking and embarrassing assassination, the capabilities of the Haitian constabulary person grown adjacent greater.

Vague provisions nether the exigency order, which is acceptable to expire this week, "seem to warrant thing done successful the discourse of the investigation," said Brian Concannon, a committee subordinate astatine the Institute for Justice and Democracy successful Haiti.

None of the men person made nationalist appearances earlier a judge.

It was not evident that immoderate had been provided ineligible counsel, either. Under Haitian law, prisoners tin person a court-appointed attorney, though they typically aren't made disposable until precocious successful a case, Concannon said.

Asked repeatedly whether the suspects person entree to ineligible representation, Haiti National Police spokeswoman Marie Michele Vernier said lone that the men were successful interaction with their respective embassies.

Abuse down bars is communal successful Haiti -- adjacent nether regular circumstances -- though nary allegations of carnal mistreatment of the men person emerged to date.

"Interrogatory torture is regular successful tally of the mill cases, truthful I would expect there's an highly precocious likelihood of that successful this case, wherever the constabulary are nether a batch of pressure," Concannon said.

Twenty-six men person been detained since the assassination, Vernier told CNN Wednesday, including 18 Colombians, 5 Haitians and 3 US citizens.

Their alleged roles vary, but astir are not believed to beryllium high-level architects of the plot. A fig of Haitian constabulary person besides been detained successful a abstracted administrative investigation, according to Haitian authorities.

Haitian constabulary accidental Sanon, who had mounted an above-board foray into authorities successful caller months, hired the Colombians and different men arsenic "mercenaries" successful an effort to prehend powerfulness successful the country.

The Colombians are believed to person operated successful 2 groups: a larger radical who thought they were hired arsenic backstage information for Sanon, and a smaller radical who knew of a "criminal" nonsubjective and were alert the bigger cognition was a cover-up, Colombian President Ivan Duque said past week.

Citing privateness concerns, a US State Department authoritative declined to corroborate immoderate consular visits with the US citizens successful custody but said that the bureau mostly works to supply assistance to Americans detained overseas.

In Florida, Sanon's household believes helium is being acceptable up arsenic a scapegoat, according to Bross, the household friend.

The doc had precocious announced plans to question the Haitian presidency successful a aboriginal authorities and had hired the Colombians and different men from a Florida steadfast arsenic information successful Haiti, according to a institution that arranged backing for the effort.

Sanon's household believes the request for information was legitimate, Bross said. Sanon had publically criticized the country's present assassinated president and helium believed helium would beryllium unsafe successful the country, wherever governmental unit is rampant, Bross said.

Sanon has denied each cognition of the cognition to investigators and insisted connected his innocence, CNN has reported.

On Sunday, consular officials from Colombia are ​expected to question to Port-au-Prince aft the Haitian authorities requested they hold their sojourn until the assassinated president's funeral, which is Friday.

The officials volition conscionable with the detainees and assistance them find section ineligible representation, the country's overseas curate said.

Several relatives of the Colombians who spoke to CNN said they are inactive successful the acheronian astir the men's condition.

"We're desperate. Every time for maine is hell," the woman of 1 of the detained men said implicit a substance message.

The woman, who requested anonymity due to the fact that the lawsuit is sensitive, has petitioned the Red Cross to sojourn her husband, according to a missive she shared with CNN.

"Our household is unaware of his physical, intelligence and ineligible state. We're suffering and request to person immoderate benignant of telephone oregon virtual connection with the assistance of the Red Cross due to the fact that his young children and household are emotionally affected by this bittersweet situation," the pistillate wrote.

Earlier Wednesday, families of the men met with an authoritative from the Foreign Ministry's bureau but near with nary caller details connected their relatives' statuses.

"As of this moment, we cognize perfectly thing astir however they're doing and however they're being treated. We're inactive successful the aforesaid suffering," Milena Africano, whose hubby is among the detained, said aft the meeting.

The authoritative did archer the families that they could springiness packages to the consular ngo to present to the men.

On the database of items allowed to beryllium sent: 2 achromatic shirts, a brace of sandals, and a tiny proviso of toiletries.

CNN's Natalie Gallon reported from Port-au-Prince, Stefano Pozzebon from Bogota and David Shortell from Miami.

Reporting contributed by CNN's Caitlin Hu, Matt Rivers and Etant Dupain successful Port-au-Prince.