Renan Hédouville Citizen Protector, Director of the Office for the Protection of the Citizen (OPC), informs the national and international opinion, in particular his partner institutions, that Me Arold Nicolas, the Departmental Director of the OPC in Grand-Anse, has been the subject of serious threats since the announcement of the administrative sanction taken against the Government Commissioner of Jérémie, Me Bergemane Sylvain https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31187-haiti-justice-minisitre-delille-freezes-the-release-of-the-pardoned-prisoners-and-takes-sanctions.html

These threats have intensified following the decision of the Head of Government, Joseph Jouthe, ordering to postpone provisionally on the release of the 415 prisoners who benefited from the presidential pardon. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31187-haiti-justice-minisitre-delille-freezes-the-release-of-the-pardoned-prisoners-and-takes-sanctions.html

In the morning of Saturday July 4, Director Nicolas received a text message from a number from the Digicel company 13949-9388 in which the sender told him that "his body will soon be devoured by dogs".

A few hours later, four individuals in hoods on two motorcycles spent more than two hours going back and forth in front of Me Nicolas' home.

Renan Hédouville wishes to clarify that the verbal attacks followed by death threats against Me Arold Nicolas began after the release in July 2019 of Pastor Onold Petit, the man implicated in a rape case of a 14-year-old girl in Jérémie https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-28272-haiti-flash-amazing-release-of-a-haitian-pastor-accused-of-rape.html . Recall that the OPC office in this department was the first to denounce this travesty of justice presided over by Judge Jean Baptiste Louis Jean, sanctioned a few weeks later by the Superior Council of the Judicial Power (CSPJ) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-28404-haiti-flash-release-of-a-pastor-guilty-of-rape-the-judge-suspended.html

Today, threats are multiplying and complicating the work of the representative of the OPC in Grand-Anse.

The OPC expresses its worrying and its deepest concern regarding the security situation of its staff in Jérémie and intends to address the Prime Minister, Joseph Jouthe, for the purpose of instructing the State authorities in Grand-Anse (Delegate, Commissioner of Government, Departmental Director of the PNH) to adopt special measures aimed at the safety of OPC staff in this department.

See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-31187-haiti-justice-minisitre-delille-freezes-the-release-of-the-pardoned-prisoners-and-takes-sanctions.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-28404-haiti-flash-release-of-a-pastor-guilty-of-rape-the-judge-suspended.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-28272-haiti-flash-amazing-release-of-a-haitian-pastor-accused-of-rape.html

HL/ HaitiLibre