The Port-au-Prince Bar Association, in a statement signed by President Patrick Pierre-Louis, reminds those holding constituted powers [Editor's note : members of the Presidential Transitional Council] of the requirements of the Political Agreement that provided a normative basis for their legitimacy and invites them to account for the exercise of their functions so that the Nation can learn from this experience.

Statement from the Bar Association :

"Following the General Assembly of lawyers held on November 21, 2025, and noting that after 19 months of exceptional transitional power, no significant action has been taken to concretely strengthen the justice system, as evidenced in particular by the emblematic case of the assassination of President Monferrier Dorval, which has remained unsolved for sixty-five months;

Observing, therefore, the absence of an adequate judicial and security policy, particularly in the face of acts of terror perpetrated by armed gangs against a marginalized population;

Concerned, in this instance, by the chronic inability to establish the conditions necessary for the restoration of the rule of law, of which lawyers remain the guardians;

Alerted, consequently, by the deficiencies that will manifest themselves within the criminal justice system when confronted with the multiple legal situations that, once state authority is restored, will arise in terms of conducting investigations, judicial decisions, the enforcement of judgments, and demands for redress, given the plethora of offenses committed against persons and property during the transition;

Concluding, in general, by the lack, during this period, of a national strategy aimed at addressing the structural components of the transition;

Aware, moreover, of the exhaustion of the Agreement of April 3rd, 2024, by the fateful date of February 7, 2026, and of the dangers such a situation poses to the structures of the Government and national sovereignty;

Outraged, at this decisive turning point in national life, by the distressing spectacle presented by the highest state authorities, who do not hesitate to engage publicly in petty squabbles, likely driven by clan or individual biases, but certainly far removed from the major national concerns;

Concerned, nevertheless, with the need to preserve the general interest through constructive dialogue among the vital forces of the Nation;

Reminds those holding constituted powers of the requirements of the Political Agreement that provided a normative basis for their legitimacy and invites them to account for the exercise of their functions so that the nation may learn from this experience.

Done in Port-au-Prince, January 28, 2026."

Patrick Pierre-Louis, President of the Bar Association

HL/ HaitiLibre