The Haitian Community of Civil Society Organizations and Institutions (COHOSOC) has expressed its concerns and strongly protests against the Presidential Transitional Council (CPT), which it accuses of having adopted a controversial decree aimed at shielding its members from any legal proceedings related to the exercise of their functions for malfeasance during its time at the top of the State.
In an open letter addressed to the CPT and the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), COHOSOC stated that it was "deeply devastated and stunned" by the decision made on December 22, 2025, with CARICOM's support. According to the organization, this decree constitutes a serious breach of fundamental principles of the rule of law, a direct threat to Haitian justice, and sets a dangerous precedent in the country's legal system, as stated in the letter signed by the organization's president.
COHOSOC reiterates that this provision is illegal, as it contravenes current Haitian laws, particularly the 1904 law, as well as the spirit and letter of the Constitution of March 29, 1987.
According to Ebens Exantus, a lawyer at the Port-au-Prince bar, this initiative paves the way for the institutionalization of impunity, while promoting corruption and malfeasance at the highest levels of the State.
For Mr. Exantus, "Such a decision risks having disastrous consequences for the future of the country," the organization warns, emphasizing that it further weakens a nation already facing an unprecedented multidimensional crisis.
In light of this situation, COHOSOC demands the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of this decree and reiterates that, in any democracy worthy of the name, only the will of the people should prevail.
In this note dated December 24 of this year, this Haitian civil society organization also calls on CARICOM and international partners, including the United Nations Office in Haiti BINUH, to assume their responsibilities in the face of this institutional drift.
Posted Feb. 1, 2026