After nine months of administrative detention in a Moscow immigration facility, two Haitian students have secured their release following a months-long cross-border diplomatic campaign led by Haitian foreign affairs authorities.
Slanda François, one of the two detained students, was first taken into custody in October 2025 over immigration violations at the Temporary Detention Center for Foreign Citizens on Moscow’s Varshavskoye Shosse. The facility, located 64 kilometers outside the city center, routinely holds migrants who face deportation orders or administrative detention. She was joined in custody by Anne Betsaïna César, another Haitian student studying in Russia.
Their release, confirmed on July 25, 2026, did not come easily. It was the culmination of a sustained diplomatic negotiation spearheaded by Haiti’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with critical backing from the Haitian Embassy based in Vietnam. Diplomatic teams worked for months to navigate Russian immigration protocols and coordinate logistics for the students’ departure, building a collaborative effort to secure the freedom of the two Haitian nationals.
For the students and their loved ones, the announcement brings a long-awaited end to a stressful, uncertain period. Throughout their detention, both the students and their families held out hope for a positive resolution, a outcome that now paves the way for their long-awaited homecoming.
While the release marks a major milestone, the journey back to Haiti is still underway. Current travel arrangements have the pair arriving in Cap-Haïtien on July 28, 2026, where they will finally reunite with family members who have waited nearly a year to see them. Haitian diplomatic officials have framed the successful outcome as a clear demonstration of how targeted diplomatic engagement and cross-border cooperation can deliver meaningful protection for Haitian citizens living and studying abroad. Negotiations are also ongoing to repatriate additional Haitian nationals detained in Moscow, according to prior reporting from Haitian outlets.