Pictures of the Year International

Haitian police in combat gear patrol the streets of Port-au-Prince, July 10, 2024. Since the disbandment of the national military in 1995, the National Police of Haiti (PNH) has borne sole responsibility for maintaining law and order. However, the PNH has faced widespread accusations of human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings and violent abuse during arrests and interrogations. Meanwhile, gangs have tightened their grip on the capital, controlling an estimated 85% of Port-au-Prince. In the absence of effective state governance, these armed groups have assumed roles traditionally held by the police and judiciary, enforcing their own brutal rules over the population.