On Sunday, news broke that former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier had just returned to Haiti after nearly 25 years in exile. Almost immediately, the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) and the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) called on the Haitian government to arrest the ex-president, a demand MADRE endorsed. Today it was revealed that Duvalier has indeed been taken into custody by the Haitian police. Following is MADRE's statement about Duvalier's return to the country:
Breaking News: Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier has been taken into custody by the Haitian police and waits in a courthouse for the decision on whether he will be arrested and what charges he will face.
MADRE endorses the call by human rights organizations for the arrest of Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier. Nearly 25 years after he was escorted out of the country into exile by the US military, the former Haitian dictator responsible for terrorizing his country and for countless human rights violations has returned to the capital city of Port-au-Prince. Haitian human rights organizations, such as the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux, have long documented evidence of his crimes, and MADRE reaffirms their demands for an end to his impunity.
To read the request for Duvalier's arrest from the Institute for Justice and Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) and the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI), click here.
Is it not obvious Duvalier only returned to Haiti
to pilfer the country again He is broke now and needs to get his hands on money to benefit himself
and Rep. Bob Barr will gain receiving his legal fees .
Posted by: Chris Taus | January 24, 2011 at 03:51 AM