Above: Port-au-Prince (CJ Photo)
By the Caribbean Journal staff
Prominent Haitian attorney Andre Michel was arrested on Tuesday night.
Michel has been bringing a series of cases against the country’s government; the arrest was reportedly on a separate charge, although police did not yet release a comment on the arrest.
The move led to small demonstrations in Haiti’s capital, with outrage from a number of opposition members of Parliament including Simon Dieuseul Desras, president of Haiti’s Senate and one of the most outspoken critics of the current administration.
In a statement that did not specifically address the arrest, Haiti’s government said it condemned what it said included an incident in which members of Parliament seized a defendant who was waiting to be questioned in court and led to the Legislative Palace.
“These actions constitute excesses unprecedented in the history of Haiti and call for deep reflection,” read the statement, which was released by the office of Haiti Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe. “They also represent a serious interference and a flagrant violation of the principle of separation of powers enshrined in the Haitian constitution and are likely to jeopardize the democratic gains and undermine the foundations of a genuine rule of law.”
Michel later left a courthouse in Port-au-Prince following a hearing on his arrest.
Michel is reportedly a supporter of Jean-Bertrand Aristide, who served three separate times as Haiti’s president, removed twice by coups d’etat.