By 2005, one of the sixteen imprisoned defendants had died, while the remaining fifteen had reportedly escaped from prison,[9] some in a mass jailbreak in Gonaives in which a bulldozer was driven through the walls of a prison[10] On May 3, 2005, the Supreme Court overturned the sentences, ruling that "the Criminal Tribunal of Gonaïves, having been established with the assistance of a jury, was not competent to rule the case".[9] The reversal was condemned by Amnesty International, which called it "a huge step backwards".[9]