Colombian President Abelardo De La Espriella said on Tuesday, October 6, that his government will provide legal assistance to the 17 former Colombian soldiers accused in the 2021 assassination of Haitian President Jovenel Moïse. He called the men “heroes” and promised financial support for their families.

“Innocent people should not pay for the guilty,” De La Espriella wrote on X. “I am not the kind of president who abandons his heroes in difficult times.” He said he had instructed the defense and justice ministers to make sure the men have lawyers.

The 17 veterans and former Haitian official Joseph Félix Badio were transferred from Haiti to the United States on September 20 and appeared in federal court in Miami the next day.

The statement is a sharp change of tone. In January 2025, during a visit to Haiti, then-President Gustavo Petro formally apologized for the role of Colombians in the killing. De La Espriella, a lawyer and businessman, took office on August 7.

Critics in Colombia reacted quickly. Journalist Gonzalo Guillén called the former soldiers “terrorists” and questioned the use of public money for their defense. Lawmaker Ana Leidy Erazo Ruiz accused the government of a “double standard” and asked the Justice Ministry for details. Justice Minister Jorge Mora said defending the men means ensuring justice is done “with all the necessary safeguards.”

At least 22 Colombian veterans working for a Florida security contractor are believed to have taken part in the July 7, 2021, raid on Moïse's home. Three were killed afterward in clashes with Haitian police. Two others, Germán Rivera and Mario Antonio Palacios, have already been convicted in the United States.

Haitian authorities have not publicly responded. In Miami, the trial of Christian Emmanuel Sanon, a Haitian American pastor accused of helping to organize the plot, continues.