Report on the functioning of the Haitian judicial system during the 2016-2017 judicial year
- Of 574 criminal hearings scheduled, 301 were held and 273 were postponed.
- Of 765 people who should have been tried, 397 were tried (253 convicted, 144 released) and 368 returned to prison without a ruling.
- The Court of Cassation still had six vacant seats at the end of the judicial year.
- The RNDDH counted 31 people convicted of sexual crimes during the assizes.
- Prolonged pretrial detention is now more than 75 percent, and the number of people tried fell to 397 in 2016-2017.
- A clerks' strike from July 3, 2017 paralyzed justice of the peace and first-instance courts for at least five weeks.
The RNDDH and its regional structures present their observation report on the 2016-2017 judicial year, released as the 2017-2018 year opened. The year began with Hurricane Matthew, which damaged courthouses in the South, Nippes and Grand'Anse. The report describes the weak situation of the Superior Council of the Judiciary, six vacant seats at the Court of Cassation, new draft codes and laws, and a series of work stoppages by judges, clerks and lawyers. It reviews scandals in several jurisdictions and older cases that remain blocked, such as the killings of police officer Walky Calixte and of the POHDH coordinator and his wife.
It then analyzes the criminal assizes held in the 18 first-instance jurisdictions, with tables on hearings, persons tried and sexual crime convictions. It concludes that disruptions sharply reduced the number of people tried and that prolonged pretrial detention exceeds 75 percent, and it makes recommendations to the judicial authorities.
How to cite
National Human Rights Defense Network (RNDDH), Report on the functioning of the Haitian judicial system during the 2016-2017 judicial year, https://web.rnddh.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/6-Rapport-Justice-16Oct2017.pdf
- Rights holder
- Réseau National de Défense des Droits Humains (RNDDH)