Law on the Organisation and Operation of the Office of Citizen Protection (OPC)

The Office of Citizen Protection is provided for by articles 207 to 207-3 of the 1987 Constitution as the institution charged with protecting individuals against any form of abuse by the public administration. This law gives that constitutional provision its operating statute: the office's organization, the appointment and mandate of the Protector, the handling of complaints, and the office's relations with the administration and the courts. Its preamble cites the constitutional articles above together with articles 111, 111-1, 136, 155, 159, 162 and 163, the Penal Code, the law of 29 November 1994 creating and organizing the National Police, and the decree of 22 August 1995 on judicial organization. The OPC is also Haiti's national human rights institution for international purposes, so this statute is the reference for assessing its independence and compliance with the Paris Principles. Published in Le Moniteur, 167th year, No. 119, Friday 20 July 2012, as an extraordinary issue.