Haiti

Haiti

Right	Section	Contents
Freedom of Association	History	The first assertion of the right to associate in Haiti is in the Constitution of 1843, ratified on December 30th. The right is found in Title III, Article 34 (Maury, “Haiti: Constitution du 30 Décembre 1843”, 1843). The Constitution of 1807 makes mention in Title X, Article 30 that “No association…which intends to disturb the public order shall be tolerated in Haiti”, insinuating a right to association that does not disturb the public order, but it does not outright assert the positive right to associate (“The 1807 Constitution of Haiti”, 1807). Maury, Jean-Pierre. 1843. “Haiti: Constitution Du 30 Décembre 1843.” Haïti, Constitution de 1843, Digithèque MJP. December 30. https://mjp.univ-perp.fr/constit/ht1843.htm. “The 1807 Constitution of Haiti.” 1807. Haiti: 1807 Constitution. February 17. https://web.archive.org/web/20060419010800/http://www.webster.edu/~corbetre/haiti/history/earlyhaiti/1807-const.htm.
Freedom of Expression	History	Haiti’s establishment of independence from France following the Haitian Revolution manifested in the 1806 Constitution. Revised in 1816, the Constitution stated, “No one can be hindered from telling, writing or publishing his opinions.” This tradition continued through the 19th and 20th century, with the 1987 Constitution of the Republic of Haiti stating that all Haitains have the right to express opinions, and censorship is only allowed in times of war. Following the regime changes in the 2020s, there are circulating Draft Constitutions of the Independent Advisory Committee. References: English Translation of the French Text of the Constitution of 1806, as Amended to 1816, 64 (2014) https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzht0060&id=3&men_tab=srchresults English original text of the Constitution of 1987, 8 (2017) https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?collection=cow&handle=hein.cow/zzht0028&id=9&men_tab=srchresults
Freedom of Religion	History	Haiti enacted its first constitution in 1801 which asserted the Catholic religion, Roman and Apostolic, to be the only religion “publicly professed,” (Mitch Abidor 2019). In 1805 however, Haiti enacted a new constitution that effectively retracts the Catholic religion as the official religion of the country. Furthermore, it states that “The freedom of worship is tolerated.” (“Haiti: 1805 Constitution” 1805). In the 1987 Constitution of Haiti, Articles 30, 30-1, and 30-2 grant religious freedoms. Section D Article 30 of the Haitian constitution states that “[a]ll religions and faiths shall be freely exercised. Everyone is entitled to profess his religion and practice his faith, provided the exercise of that right does not disturb law and order” (constituteproject.org). Sources Mitch Abidor. 2019. “Constitution of 1801 by Haiti 1801.” Marxists.org. 2019. https://www.marxists.org/history/haiti/1801/constitution.htm. “Haiti: 1805 Constitution.” 1805. Faculty.webster.edu. 1805. http://faculty.webster.edu/corbetre/haiti/history/earlyhaiti/1805-const.htm. "Constitution for the Republic of Haiti, 1987": https://www.wipo.int/wipolex/en/text/217597 “Haiti 1987 (Rev. 2012) Constitution.” Constitute. Accessed July 21, 2023. https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Haiti_2012.
Freedom of the Press	History	Article 27 of Haiti’s 1843 Constitution was its first to protect press freedom: “Everyone has the right to express their opinions in any matter, to write, print and publish their thoughts” (Digithèque MJP, “Constituion du 30 décembre 1843” ). Article 28-1 of Haiti’s 1987 Constitution protects press freedom: “Journalists shall freely exercise their profession within the framework of the law. Such exercise may not be subject to any authorization or censorship, except in the case of war” (Constitute Project, “Haiti's Constitution of 1987 with Amendments through 2012” ).
Privacy Rights	History	In 1801, the first constitution of Haiti protected the privacy of the home in Article 63 (Louverture Project, “Constitution of 1801” ). Today, Article 49 of the 1987 constitution protect protects communications (Constitute Project, “Haiti 1987 rev. 2012” ). https://constituteproject.org/constitution/Haiti_ 2012? lang=en http://thelouvertureproject.org/index.php?title=Haitian_Constitution_of_ 1801_ (English)
Voting Rights and Suffrage	History	Under Article 17, Haitians 21 years or older may participate in universal voting regardless of sex or marital status. (Constitute Project, “Haitian Constitution of 1987 with Amendments through 2012” ).