February 7, 1986 – February 7, 2025: It has been 39 years since the Haitian people witnessed the end of the Duvalier dictatorship and took a decisive turn toward democracy, toward a state governed by the rule of law where the life of every Haitian man and woman matters. Yet, 39 years later, the country’s political, economic, and intellectual elites have still failed to build a functional state.

The President of the nine-member Presidential Council—an institution not provided for in the Constitution—declared in his speech marking the occasion: "On February 7, 1986, we won inalienable rights: freedom of speech, freedom of association, and freedom to gather in any group, organization, political party, or cooperative. But today, we must recognize that these hard-won rights are in danger. In too many neighborhoods across our country, fear has taken hold once again. People can no longer speak freely, associate without fear, or gather without risking their lives."