On the sidelines of a ceremony honoring twenty Haitian professionals who will travel to France this Wednesday, September 2nd, 2026 (https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-48347-zapping-haiti-of-september-1st-2026.html) for specialized training in preparation for the Haitian penal reform, which is expected to come into effect in January 2027, replacing the current law dating back to 1835, the First Counselor of the French Embassy in Haiti, Grégory Varennes, in a speech delivered front the Haitian Prime Minister, Alix Didier Fils-Aimé, warned that the restoration of security in Haiti would remain "incomplete" without "the construction and consolidation of the rule of law and a robust judicial system."

"However ambitious a reform may be, it only truly comes to life when those responsible for it understand, master, and implement it. That is precisely the objective of this training, organized in France at the request of Haiti’s Minister of Justice and Public Security, Patrick Pélissier," Varennes stated.

The delegation, composed of 10 magistrates, including one from the Court of Cassation, 5 lawyers, 2 court clerks, and 3 police commissioners, will deepen its knowledge of new offenses, new procedures, the role of the public prosecutor, and the main innovations of the legal framework, the government specified.

Upon their return to Haiti, these 20 professionals will be tasked with sharing the knowledge acquired with other stakeholders, in order to promote the gradual and sustainable implementation of criminal justice reform in the country’s 10 jurisdictions.

IH/ iciHaiti