News
Haiti: Duvalier to appear in court
Last week, the head of Haiti’s Court of Appeals, Jean Joseph Lebrun, ordered Duvalier to appear in court after postponing the start of the appeals hearing in his case.
The ex-president, who has been a no-show at previous court hearings, is appealing last year’s decision by an investigative judge that he should be tried on plundering Haiti’s coffers during his 15-year rule.
At the same time, alleged victims of human rights violations under Duvalier rule are appealing the same judge’s decision to dismiss the more serious crimes against humanity.
Lebrun had ruled that the statute of limitations under Haitian law had run out, despite arguments by human rights lawyers and advocates that there is no statute of limitations for crimes against humanity.
“The law is very clear,” said Reed Brody of the Washington-based Human Rights Watch. “Haiti has a legal binding obligation to investigate, and if appropriate, prosecute the crimes committed under Duvalier.”
Victims and human rights groups, including Haiti’s Collective Against Impunity, which includes 22 of Duvalier’s alleged victims, have heightened calls for Duvalier to face justice.
The London-based human rights watchdog, Amnesty International and the Open Society Justice Initiative said on Wednesday that it was important for the court proceedings against Duvalier to continue and victims’ rights be respected.
