Human-rights charges against Haiti's former leader, "Baby Doc", are dismissed

Post by Kathryn Hovington

Charges of grave human-rights crimes including torture and political assassination against Jean-Claude Duvalier, who ruled Haiti from 1971 to 1986, have been dismissed by investigative magistrate Carvès Jean, on the grounds that the ten-year statute of limitations had expired. Mr Jean was accused of failing to investigate the claims of at least eight of the 20 complainants in the case.

After fleeing to France for 25 years, Mr Duvalier, nicknamed “Baby Doc”, made a surprise return to Haiti in January 2011. He was arraigned a few days later and put under house arrest. On 30 January, Mr Jean ruled that a trial for misappropriation of government funds could go forward, though it will be heard by a tribunal that handles relatively minor crimes. Mr Duvalier is frequently accused of having siphoned millions of dollars from the public treasury.

During Jean-Claude Duvalier’s regime, human-rights violations were well documented and the UN and human-rights groups argue that under international law, there is no statute of limitations on crimes against humanity. “Courts from Argentina to Cambodia have set aside time limits to address past atrocities, but once again, Haiti is an exception,” said Reed Brody of Human Rights Watch, which helped build the case against Mr Duvalier last year.

The complainants intend to appeal the decision and Mr Duvalier will appeal the corruption charges. The United States has offered technical support to the Haitian government should it pursue an appeal.

To read the full article in The Economist click here.