Renan Hédouville, the Protector of the Citizen of the Office of the Protection of the Citizen (OPC), expresses his deepest concern following the work stoppage of lawyers of the Bar Association of Port-au-Prince, for several weeks https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25953-haiti-news-zapping.html , due to physical attacks on the 9th of October at the Palace of Justice, the Divisional Commissioner Berson Soljour, West Departmental Director of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), against Me Elie Diespt Augustin, Lawyer at the Bar of Port-au-Prince https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26048-haiti-justice-the-west-director-of-the-pnh-temporarily-suspended.html

Hédouville stresses that "This work stoppage has consequences for the functioning of the judicial system and further aggravates the situation of persons deprived of their liberty who are unable to benefit from the services of the members of the basoche, who constitute in many respects a fundamental judicial guarantee. It recommends to the General Directorate of the PNH (IGPNH) pending the outcome of their administrative inquiries, to immediately take precautionary measures against all officers of the PNH involved in any act of human rights violations, regardless of their rank" adding that such decisions "will prove that the IGPNH does not tolerate or endorse the misbehavior of these police officers. "

He also draws the attention of the DGPNH on the "good practices and standards of policing that require that any uniformed police officer be clearly identified by both his rank and his registration number which must be visible and clearly legible, which would considerably reduce police drifts."

Finally, the Ombudsman draws to the attention of Government Commissioner Me Clamé Ocnam Daméus that "the paralysis, short as it is of the judicial system, has serious repercussions on society in general and on prolonged pre-trial detention in particular. It recommends that actors in the judiciary take all necessary measures to facilitate the resumption of judicial activities in the interest of a genuine rule of law.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26048-haiti-justice-the-west-director-of-the-pnh-temporarily-suspended.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25953-haiti-news-zapping.html

HL/ HaitiLibre