Joint Statement from U.S. Human Rights Clinics on the Constitutional and Human Rights Crisis in Haiti

The clinics at New York University, Harvard and Yale law schools state that credible evidence shows President Jovenel Moïse engaged in conduct that creates a constitutional crisis and undermines the rule of law. They note that his mandate is widely considered to have ended on February 7, 2021, an interpretation endorsed by the Conseil Supérieur du Pouvoir Judiciaire and the Haitian Bar Federation, while he argues it runs to February 7, 2022. They list actions of the preceding week, including the arrest of at least 18 people on coup allegations, the decree retiring three Supreme Court justices, and the use of live ammunition to disperse protesters.

They call on the U.S. government to denounce these acts, support free elections, call for investigations of human rights violations and halt deportation flights to Haiti. The statement notes it does not represent the law schools' institutional views.