Faced with abuse of authority, the Collective Défenseurs Plus issues a warning

The Collective Defenseurs Plus vehemently condemns the systematic abuse of authority in the country for some time, the most recent of which concern the use of dogs by police officers to bludgeon the Haitian population wishing to acquire a travel document which is a passport. These facts [abuse of authority] are provided for and punished by the Haitian penal code in its articles 145 and following.

One of the overriding markers in all modern theories of democracy is the limit of the power of the authorities based on legal provisions. In other words, any act committed by an authority outside the legal requirements constitutes an offence. Indeed, the Defenseurs Plus Collective, being concerned about the human rights situation in Haiti, is worried about abuses and abuses of authority. The use of police intervention dogs against the population in search of a passport constitutes an act of barbarism because in terms of public security, one of the predominant principles is that of the proportionality of forces. But how to use ferocious dogs against a population devoid of any offensive means, or who only claim a service for which they pay the expenses by being taxpayers?
By this observation, the Defenders Plus Collective requires the authorities to take as a compass in the exercise of their function, the laws of the Republic and the international conventions ratified by Haiti in order to promote the rule of law in the country. Also, the Collectif Défenseurs Plus invites the Haitian population to be on their guard so as not to fall into dictatorship in whatever form.

Done in Port-au-Prince, February 24, 2023

Wilkenson Franklyn Junior JN DENIS
Head of Legal Affairs
Tel: 509 31 95 1475