Haiti - Justice : Pre-trial detention, OPC seeks clemency from authorities
Me Renan Hedouville, the Protector of the Citizen, accompanied by the Commissioner of the Government Ocnam-Clamé Daméus made, last week, an assessment visit of the situation of the national penitentiary, the largest prison center in the country. At the approach of the holiday season, he asked clemency measures of the authorities concerned for prisoners in pre-trial detention.
Referring to the lot of problems that undermine the national penitentiary: promiscuity, insalubrity, prison overcrowding related to prolonged pre-trial detention, among others, Me Hedouville compares this prison center to a stable "This infernal space is far from being a prison if account is taken of international human rights standards signed and ratified by the Haitian State."
Aware of the deplorable situation of the detainees Me Renan Hedouville indicated that the Office of the Protection of the Citizen (OPC) intended to develop a synergy with the Prosecution of Port-au-Prince, the Ministry of Justice and Public Security in order to combat prolonged pretrial detention, one of the causes of this painful condition lamenting "There are more people in pretrial detention than convicts" recalling that out of more than 4000 prisoners alone nearly 400 were sentenced.
Me Ocnam-Clamé Daméus, said that the prosecutor's office of Port-au-Prince was working on the list of prisoners to be released during the month of December stating that they are detainees who are mostly in prolonged pretrial detention for minor offenses, promising that they will spend Christmas with their family...
Jean Gardy Muscadin, Director of the Directorate of Prison Administration (DAP), welcomed the visit of the Protector of the Citizen and wished for the positive effects of this visit.
