Human rights defenders in Haiti have been subjected to acts of harassment, death threats, surveillance, arbitrary arrest, detention, abductions, violent attacks and killings. Perpetrators of human rights violations include members of illegal armed gangs and members of the Haitian National Police (HNP), who operate in a climate of impunity.

Despite elections being held in February 2006 and the presence of the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), violence persists and human rights abuses continue to occur throughout the country. Journalists in Haiti and those defenders who denounce and report on human rights violations are the most at risk and reporters have been assassinated because of their work. Lawyers involved in human rights work and seeking justice for victims, have been targeted. Trade unionists and student activists have also been persecuted for their human rights activities. Some defenders are forced into hiding due to fears for their own safety and that of their family members. According to the UN SRSG “human rights defenders in Haiti appear to play a fundamental role in the denouncement of human rights violations and the compilation of legal reports in the administration of justice”. Those involved in trials against perpetrators of human rights violations under the former regime have also been harassed, including judges, prosecutors and witnesses.