Three weeks before the end of its mandate, the Transitional Presidential Council (CPT) is seeking to muzzle freedom of expression, a right won through numerous struggles. Its members have in fact adopted and published a controversial decree to “regulate freedom of expression.” In a statement released on January 16, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on Haitian authorities to withdraw this document, which expands criminal provisions related to defamation, considering it a serious threat to freedom of expression and the public’s right to information.

Published in Le Moniteur without any prior public debate, the decree states that although freedom of expression is guaranteed by the Constitution, criminal penalties—of up to three years in prison—may be imposed in cases involving the dissemination of “illicit content.” The text also provides for particularly harsh penalties for insults or defamation targeting the heroes of independence, national symbols, or Haitian heritage, with heavy fines and prison sentences of up to twenty years.