This strong stance from the Port-au-Prince Bar Council was unexpected. Also victims of the terror acts perpetrated by armed groups, the capital’s lawyers declare they are “STRUCK by the rapid deterioration of security conditions, which appears to serve a project driven by forces working against the national interest; ALARMED by the encirclement of metropolitan neighborhoods by armed gangs for obscure purposes, leading to forced displacement of the population in blatant violation of rights recognized by the Haitian state; OUTRAGED by the unusual laxity of the executive and judicial powers with regard to the functioning of the courts and, more broadly, access to justice.”

These legal professionals “DEPLORE that after more than ten months of governance, no real criminal justice policy has been implemented by the high authorities of the transition to adequately address the current situation and alleviate the population’s suffering.”