Haitian prosecutors presented formal charges of corruption and embezzlement against the former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier on Tuesday, raising the level of uncertainty surrounding his abrupt emergence from exile this week.
The case, which involves acts that he is accused of committing before fleeing the country nearly 25 years ago, was presented at the end of a dramatic day during which Mr. Duvalier, one of Haiti’s most polarizing figures, was escorted by heavily armed police officers out of his hotel. Clusters of supporters shouted in outrage, calling for “revolution” and threatening to burn the country down.
Mr. Duvalier, 59, wearing a pin-stripe suit and looking fragile, waved back with one hand while he held onto his companion, Véronique Roy, with the other.
As the police convoy made its way downtown, Mr. Duvalier’s supporters cheered from the roadside. Some tried to block the procession by heaving chunks of concrete and garbage containers onto the road. The crowds eventually thinned, and Mr. Duvalier arrived at a courthouse without further incident.
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Amnesty International offered muted praise about Haiti’s decision to pursue a case against Mr. Duvalier, calling it a good start.
“If true justice is to be done in Haiti,” the group said in a statement, “the Haitian authorities need to open a criminal investigation into Duvalier’s responsibility for the multitude of human rights abuses that were committed under his rule, including torture, arbitrary detentions, rape, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial executions.”
"[A] good start." We shall see.
Pray for the people of Haiti. Pray for peace in Haiti.
