The US Embassy in Haiti on Tuesday expressed “deep concern” about any action that could “undermine” Haitian democratic institutions, regarding the retirement of three judges from the Supreme Court on the orders of the Caribbean country’s president, Jovenel Moise.
The US Legation said in a statement that Moise’s decision is “under investigation” by international organizations to determine whether it complies with the Constitution and Haitian laws.
“We saw a decree appearing very late on February 8, withdrawing three judges from the Supreme Court. We are deeply concerned about any action that could undermine Haiti’s democratic institutions,” the embassy said.
In contrast, the short statement urged political actors to “focus” on restoring the right of the Haitian people to elect their legislators through parliamentary and presidential elections.
The statement calls for the “late” parliamentary elections, postponed from 2019, “as soon as technically possible”, and for the presidential elections to be held “shortly after”.
Moise published a decree yesterday retiring three opposition judges, including Joseph Mécène Jean Louis, who had been named interim president of the country hours earlier.
The decree relieves Jean Louis, Ivickel Dabrésil, who was arrested over the weekend on charges of preparing a coup d’état, and magistrate Wendelle Coq Thelot, also an opponent, from their positions at the Supreme Court of Cassation, the highest judicial body of the country.
The order issued by Moise is apparently in violation of Article 177 of the Constitution, which states that the judges of the Supreme Court are “immovable” and cannot be removed or fired unless they are criminally charged, or permanently physically incapacitated for work or mentally and properly verified.
Moise denounced about twenty arrests of people involved in the preparation of a coup d’état on Sunday, just on the day that the opposition believes that the mandate of the head of state has expired.