Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Haiti: Key Recent Developments, March through September 2026

This update by the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti covers March through September 2026 and continues a recurring series. It concludes that Haiti's human rights crisis worsened, with a response focused on security that leaves state capture, corruption and impunity unaddressed. It documents massacres, mass kidnappings, rural expansion by gangs, displacement of nearly 1.5 million people, and abuses by police, civilian defense groups and private contractors.

It describes a justice system with closed courts, a shrinking budget and near-total impunity, and prisons at over 300% capacity. It covers sexual violence, risks to children, economic decline, hunger, collapsing health and education services, and a surge in deportations after the end of U.S. Temporary Protected Status. It finds the Gang Suppression Force under-resourced and the election process flawed, with humanitarian funding falling short of needs.