Port-au-Prince, October 4, 2025.- In its annual report 2025, the Supreme Council of the Judiciary (CSPJ) provides an alarming picture of the Haitian judiciary. Chronic underfunding, persistent insecurity, inaccessible courts and precarious infrastructure put the judicial system at risk. « The Haitian judicial system is under siege »warns the institution, which calls for collective mobilization to avoid its collapse.
The judiciary has 890 judges, including 655 judges, with a ratio of 5.5 judges per 100,000 inhabitants, far from international standards. Despite the creation of six new courts, access to justice remains limited by the high cost of litigation, the predominance of French over Creole and a low representation of women.
Insecurity has paralysed several jurisdictions, including Cité Soleil, Thomazeau, Ganthier, Mirebalais and Saut-d'Eau. The assassination of Judge Verto Vertilus in L The forced relocation of courts in Port-au-Prince and Croix-des-Bouquets to precarious premises also illustrates institutional fragility.
With only 1.05% of the national budget, justice suffers from critical underfunding. This budgetary weakness prevents modernization and increases delays, particularly in Port-au-Prince, where the Court of Appeal serves almost 40 per cent of the population with only four courts of first instance.
In view of this, the CSPJ proposes a roadmap with six priorities: modernising infrastructure, strengthening staff, strengthening integrity mechanisms, improving governance and financing, strengthening accountability and ensuring the safety of judges. The institution warns: without rapid intervention, Haiti risks falling into an uncontrolled extension of the areas of lawlessness and a massive exclusion of citizens from access to justice.
W.A.
