Tags
corruption, Court of Appeals, Crimes against Humanity, cronyism, death squads, Dechukaj, democracy, Dictatorship, Duvalier, Duvalierism, Francois Duvalier, Haiti, Human Rights abuses, Human Rights Abuses Haiti, impunity, independence of judiciary, intimidation, Jean-Claude Duvalier, judiciary, justice, Lamothe, Martelly, misappropriation of funds, paramilitary, regime, revisionism, Rule of law, statute of limitations, Tontons Macoutes, victims
Rather than being put in prison, where he belongs, Dictator Baby Doc, Jean-Claude Duvalier, is being treated as an honourable statesman by the current ruling duo of Haiti: Martelly and Lamothe. How can this be?
“You cannot kill justice. You cannot kill the truth”
Jean L. Dominique, in The Agronomist” http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR36/007/2011/en/c1eaace5-e98b-4d9c-b0b6-48dcbd7b75ae/amr360072011en.pdf
From the video (ca 1985):
“During Jean Claude Duvalier’s Rule, many prisoners have disappeared. In Fort Dimanche Prison, now closed, many prisoners were reportedly executed or died of starvation or untreated illness. In 1979, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights published a list of 151 prisoners who reportedly died there between 1974 and 1976. In 1983, a former soldier testified that prisoners would be strangled here at police headquarters, with a cloth wrapped around the victim’s neck. The body would be put into a car, which then would be driven at night to an area of Port-au-Prince where there were a lot of thieves. The corpse would then be shot and dumped. The intention was to make it appear as though the victims themselves were thieves. William Josma disappeared in 1982, after being taken from the National Penitentiary. Fears for his safety and that of other missing prisoners continue. Faced with this pattern of human rights abuses, Amnesty International operates a special network to launch telex appeals known as urgent actions. They have to be urgent because the danger of torture, disappearance or killing is often greatest in the first 24 or 48 hours after arrest. They are sent to Amnesty International volunteers in dozens of countries who respond by sending telexes and express letters, urging that the potential victims be treated humanely.” (Amnesty International, ca 1985)
From Amnesty Video Description:
“Testimonies from victims of human rights violations committed during Jean Claude Duvalier’s 15 year rule.
The father, Francois Duvalier (better known as “Papa Doc”) came to power in 1857. After an attempted coup against him in 1958, Duvalier rewrote the the Haitian constitution, making himself a President for Life. Believing the Army was planning to overthrow him (as they had previous leaders), he disbanded all law enforcement agencies in Haiti, including the army. He executed all high-ranking Generals. To keep law enforcement completely loyal to his own ruling family, in 1959 he created a private security force, the Tonton Macoutes, who were granted automatic amnesty through his powers for any crime they committed.
He died in 1971 and was succeeded by his son, Jean-Claude Duvalier. In the 1984 election to Haiti’s 59 seat National Assembly, no opposition candidates were permitted to contest the election. Human rights violations and abuses increased in the aftermath.”
For additional information, see Amnesty International, 2011, “You cannot kill the truth’ The Case Against Jean-Claude Duvalier”: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/AMR36/007/2011/en/c1eaace5-e98b-4d9c-b0b6-48dcbd7b75ae/amr360072011en.pdf
Mining Awareness + 