In Haiti, former dictator ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier is thriving - The Washington Post In Haiti, former dictator ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier is thriving The inside track on Washington politics. Be the first to know about new stories from PowerPost. Sign up to follow, and we’ll e-mail you free updates as they’re published. You’ll receive free e-mail news updates each time a new story is published. You’re all set! By William Booth January 17, 2012 Follow @boothwilliam PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI — For a once-notorious dictator facing charges of crimes against humanity, Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier is living a nice life here after his sudden return from exile a year ago. Although technically under house arrest, the former “president for life” dines with his many admirers at the chic bistros of Petionville, where he can be found at Quartier Latin, having his poulet creole. His faltering health has improved enough for a little red wine. His portrait, a very flattering one, is sold on the streets. If money can be laundered, so can dictators.

Duvalier was the commencement speaker last month at the law school in Gonaives, an appearance that the university’s president called “totally inconceivable.” The students cheered. Last week, Duvalier drove himself — with a police escort — to the government’s memorial ceremony to mark the second anniversary of Haiti’s cataclysmic earthquake. The audience, which included Haiti’s President Michel Martelly, his prime minister and former president Bill Clinton, rose to greet him. Duvalier is back in Haiti, and it is very possible that he will never be tried for the crimes that his alleged victims and international human rights groups assert — forced disappearances, illegal detentions, intimidation, torture, and executions of journalists, activists, political opponents and others. “I cannot believe my eyes,” said Boby Duval, who spent nine months in the mid-1970s in Fort Dimanche, one of three prisons known as “the triangle of death” during the long reign of the Duvalier family — father and son, Papa Doc and Baby Doc — and the Tontons Macoutes, their paramilitary enforcers and secret police.

Duval, a bear of a man who now runs a popular soccer academy for thousands of kids from the slums, entered the prison as a robust young athlete. He emerged weighing 100 pounds. “They didn’t kill you in Fort Dimanche,” he said. “They starved you to death. I watched people die of starvation. And you never knew, ‘When am I next?’ ” Soon after Duvalier returned to Port-au-Prince in January 2011, after a 25-year exile in France, three cases were filed against him, alleging embezzlement of funds, human rights violations and crimes against humanity. Although an older generation in Haiti recalls with a shudder the bad things that happened in the Duvalier years, many Haitians are nostalgic for the era, when the country was more prosperous, tourists were not afraid to come and Haiti was the world’s leading maker of baseballs. More than 60 percent of the Haitian population is younger than 25, so they have no memory of Baby Doc’s reign, only stories of better days.

A life in power Duvalier was a plump and pampered young man of 19 when he became “president for life” in 1971 after the death of his father, the far more ruthless Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier, who once worked as a physician. The younger Duvalier and his then-wife, Michele Bennett, were famous for their luxurious lifestyle and shopping sprees. After the couple divorced in 1993, Duvalier endured a more modest exile, without the Ferrari or the mansion, living in a borrowed apartment, saying he was broke. After months of delay in which three prosecutors came and went, his case is now before Judge Jean Carves, who has promised lawyers that he will soon rule on whether the matter will proceed to trial. Duvalier’s supporters think not. “He will be cleared of all charges. It is almost finished now; the judge is typing up the order to throw it all out,” said Duvalier’s attorney, Reynold Georges, who calls himself the Johnnie Cochran of Haiti, favors wide pinstripes, drives a cherry-red Mercedes and keeps an office decorated with painted nudes.

Georges said the events alleged — torture, disappearances — have exceeded the statute of limitations. “Plus, they have no proof of anything,” he said in an interview. Asked whether the rumors are true that Duvalier, now 60, is planning a return to politics, Georges said, “If he decides to run for president, he will be eligible, and if he runs, he will win, and I will support him.” “Was Jean-Claude Duvalier scary?” the lawyer asked. “Not Duvalier. But yes, the people around him, secret police, yes, some of them were very scary. But Jean-Claude is a nice guy, believe me.” ‘It is part of the past’ Reed Brody of the group Human Rights Watch said the statute of limitations does not apply in this case. “Haiti has ratified treaties that obligate it to investigate grave violations of human rights,” he said. “There are 30-year-old cases going forward in Cambodia, Chile, Argentina, Peru, Uruguay.” Brody said that, in the cases of the disappeared, the crimes continue, since no one knows what happened to the victims.

Attorneys for the plaintiffs say that Duvalier should be held accountable for acts he either ordered or failed to stop, and that, as the commander in chief and supreme leader of Haiti, he was an accomplice to crimes committed by his government. They say Haiti must break with its history of impunity if true democracy is to flower. “We have witnesses now from when my clients were beaten and tortured, witnesses who saw them being beaten and arrested, who saw what happened in the prisons,” said Mario Joseph, a lawyer who filed one of the cases. But the lawyers pursuing Duvalier say that the international community, with the exception of Canada, has been mostly silent on the prosecution — and that the new government of Haiti is against it. Asked about the Duvalier case, President Martelly told The Washington Post: “It is part of the past. We need to learn our lessons and move forward.

“It is time to unite the country, show tolerance, show compassion, show love for everyone,” Martelly said, “to reconcile the factions that have been at war, because the war we’ve been having in Haiti is among us.” Ties to a dictator Martelly’s government includes many officials with ties to Duvalier’s government, including Prime Minister Garry Conille, whose father, Serge, served as minister of sports and youth for the dictatorship. But in Haiti’s tiny political class, many families have a connection to the Duvaliers. Before becoming prime minister, Conille served with Bill Clinton on the Interim Haiti Recovery Commission and worked as a development manager for the United Nations. The U.S. ambassador to Haiti, Kenneth Merten, said the Duvalier case “is a matter for the Haitian courts and for the Haitian people who feel aggrieved.” The Duvalier affair is also complicated by the recent return from exile of another former president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Duvalier’s supporters say that if he is dragged into court to answer for past sins, so, too, should Aristide.

Bernard Diederich, an authority on the Duvalier regime and the author of “ Papa Doc & the Tontons Macoutes ,” said Duvalier “certainly should stand trial and let justice decide whether he is guilty of stealing hundreds of millions and for the killings during his reign, especially those who died in Fort Dimanche.” “But as Haiti is the land of impunity,” Diederich said, “don’t expect justice.” More world news coverage: 60 minutes (Michele Bennett) - YouTube 60 minutes (Michele Bennett) Want to watch this again later? Sign in to add this video to a playlist. Need to report the video? Sign in to report inappropriate content. The interactive transcript could not be loaded. Loading... Rating is available when the video has been rented. This feature is not available right now. Please try again later. Published on Oct 26, 2013 Michele Bennett: The Real Power Behind Duvalier When Jean-Claude Duvalier, the notorious Haitian dictator known as "Baby Doc," ended his 25-year exile this week, he made a surprise return to Haiti with an elegant woman on his arm.

But it wasn't the same woman who was forced to flee alongside him a quarter century ago. Anyone who saw Ed Bradley's fantastic 1986 piece on the ouster of Jean-Claude Duvalier, probably wondered: Is that Michele? The one who refrigerated a room of the presidential palace so she could comfortably wear her fur coats in tropical weather? The one who pilfered millions of dollars from Haitian coffers for shopping sprees and parties? Michele Bennett was a divorcee and mother of two when she married the young dictator and became the first lady of Haiti. As you'll learn in this classic "60 Minutes" piece produced by the late George Crile, Michele enlisted the Haitian TV network to promote her efforts to alleviate the extreme poverty of the Haitian people. But behind palace walls, Michele's story took a very different turn, and with it, turned Haitian history. Jean-Claude Duvalier, who took the title "President For Life" at the age of 19, ruled the country from 1971 until 1986, the year this piece was broadcast.

After being chased from Haiti by angry mobs, Michele and Jean-Claude spent years living in luxury on the French Riviera. The couple has since divorced, and Veronique Roy (pictured at left with Duvalier), is the female companion who arrived in Haiti on his arm this week. No Copyright Infringement intended. I DO NOT OWN THIS VIDEO Category 'Baby Doc' Jean Claude Duvalier: Haiti fears political comeback after 25 years in exile | Daily Mail Online comments Exiled Haitian dictator Jean-Claude ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier has made a dramatic return to the country 25 years after fleeing to France. Human rights groups demanded his arrest as around 200 supporters greeted his arrival at Port-au-Prince airport on Sunday. It is feared the former tyrannical ruler could try to use Haiti’s current disarray to force his way back into politics.

Back 'home': Former president Jean-Claude Duvalier arrives at the airport in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti after 25 years in exile in France Playboy: Haitian president 'Baby doc' Duvalier marries Michele Bennett Enlarge Homecoming: The ex-leader with girlfriend Veronique Sceptics see the timing of his reappearance as an attempt to play on the desperation of ordinary Haitians for any way out of their plight. But Duvalier told a local radio station: ‘I’m not here for politics. I’m here for the reconstruction of Haiti.’ Baby Doc was a 19-year-old chubby playboy when he ‘inherited’ the impoverished country from his despotic father Francois – known as ‘Papa Doc’ – in 1971. Papa Doc practised voodoo and used his sinister secret police, the machete-wielding Tonton Macoute, to murder thousands and terrorise the population. His son continued the oppressive regime and hundreds of political opponents were either executed or simply disappeared.

But facing accusations of corruption, torture and other human rights abuses, he fled to Paris in 1986 following mass protests, the desertion of the Tonton Macoute and pressure from the U.S. Surprise: 'Baby Doc's' return was unexpected, but he has said he wants to help rebuild the earthquake-battered nation Heavy security: Members of the UN peacekeeping force maintained order at the airport as the former dictator returned on Sunday in the midst of a political vacuum left by disputed presidential elections Returning: Jean-Claude Duvalier makes a phone call after arriving back at the airport for the first time in a quarter of a century In 2007 Rene Preval, Haiti’s current president, said Duvalier, now 59, could return to the country to face justice for the deaths of thousands and the theft of millions of dollars, supposedly hidden in Swiss bank accounts. However, he will apparently face no criminal charges.

Prime minister Jean-Max Bellerive said: ‘He is a Haitian and, as such, is free to return home.’ Human rights groups are horrified Duvalier might evade justice.Javier Zuniga, from Amnesty International, said the ‘widespread and systematic human rights violations’ of his rule amounted to ‘crimes against humanity’. Duvalier’s girlfriend, Veronique Roy, said he planned to stay for three days. Asked why he had returned now, she replied: ‘Why not?’ Haiti is struggling to recover from the devastating earthquake a year ago. A million people are still living in tents and a cholera outbreak has so far killed 3,500 people. Baby Doc loyalists have been working for years to soften his image in the hope of a political return. ‘I don’t know much about Jean-Claude Duvalier but I’ve heard he did good things for the country,’ said one inhabitant of one of Port-au-Prince’s tent cities. ‘I hope he will do good things again.’ Unexpected arrival: The former president with his wife Veronique Roy in Port-au-Prince, Haiti Visit: Duvalier welcomes Pope John Paul II to Haiti in March, 1983.

The pontiff famously declared on his trip: 'Something must change here' Penniless in exile, Baby Doc asks Haiti to forgive him | World news | The Guardian Penniless in exile, Baby Doc asks Haiti to forgive him · Broadcast from France aims at return to power · Former dictator blamed for thousands of deaths A 1975 image of the then-president of Haiti, Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier. Photograph: Corbis Share on Messenger Close Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, Haiti's former dictator, has broken years of silence to apologise for his regime's mistakes and to request his people's forgiveness. The 56-year-old recorded a message from his exile in France accepting responsibility for "wrongs" committed during his 15-year rule over the Caribbean island. It has been broadcast around Haiti in the recent days. The broadcast appeared aimed at softening up public opinion for an unlikely political comeback. That Duvalier is said to be near penniless may be relevant. "If, during my presidential mandate, the government caused any physical, moral or economic wrongs to others, I solemnly take the historical responsibility ...

to request forgiveness from the people and ask for the impartial judgment of history," Duvalier said. For most Haitians there is no if. Duvalier is remembered for presiding over a murderous kleptocracy for 15 years until being ousted in a popular uprising in 1986. A chaotic legacy endures in the form of extreme poverty, lawlessness and political turmoil which makes Haiti one of the worst places to live in the western hemisphere. That desperation, however, has allowed Duvalier to claim things have deteriorated since he left and that the country would benefit from his political resurrection. The phrasing of the statement from Paris was more aspirational than penitential and cast the former playboy in the role of democratic saviour-in-waiting. "The watchword is already launched, the instruction is given. Militants and militant sympathizers of the National Unity party be ready. We live in waiting of the revival," Duvalier said. The NUP claims to have recruited thousands of new members in Haiti on the back of nostalgia for the deposed dictator.

They launched the François Duvalier Foundation, named after Jean-Claude's father, in 2006 to remind people that he was once considered a champion of the island's black underclass. In the broadcast Duvalier said he was "broken by 20 years of exile" but "reinvigorated" by what he claimed was growing support among younger Haitians. A 9,000-strong UN peacekeeping force has restored some order on the island, giving President René Préval's government a breathing space to fight poverty and crime. Analysts warn that the current calm is fragile. The chances of a Baby Doc comeback are remote. The "Duvalierists" seldom gather in public because of enduring hostility. They did not contest the most recent election, and so have no seats in parliament. Bobby Duval, a former football star and human rights advocate who was starved and tortured under the Duvalier regime, said the former dictator's apology did not go far enough. "He killed thousands of people, stole money and destroyed the psyche and heart of a people. This guy should be in jail and I'm just waiting for him to come back so that can happen," he told the Associated Press.

Baby Doc, so-called because he inherited power from his father François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, a doctor-turned-tyrant, lacks the common touch. His address was in French, not Creole, the language spoken in the slums where most Haitians live. The father and son reign of 29 years left at least 40,000 political opponents dead, many of them at the hands of the Tontons Macoutes militia. Baby Doc is also remembered for presiding over embezzlement which is reputed to have drained £250m from the impoverished treasury. When he fled to France he lived a luxurious life on the Riviera, driving a Ferrari, shopping in designer boutiques and shuttling between his chateau and several apartments. The money appears to have run out several years ago after a costly divorce from Michelle Bennett Pasquet. Duvalier's inability or unwillingness to get a job has forced him to rely on handouts from friends. He reportedly lives in a one-bedroom flat in Paris. Last month Switzerland extended a freeze on a Duvalier-linked bank account containing £3.1m.

Backstory Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier's spectacular rise and fall was a Haitian tragedy. Anointed president for life aged 19 in 1971, the playboy continued the tyranny of his late father, François "Papa Doc". The long-suffering population plunged deeper into poverty while Baby Doc's family and cronies looted the treasury. Dissenters were jailed, shot and hacked to death. His glitzy multimillion dollar wedding underlined the dictator's aloofness. Trafficking in drugs and cadavers (for foreign medical schools) further tainted the regime. An uprising in 1986 prompted exile to France. Baby Doc's expensive lifestyle and costly divorce drained his fortune. He now lives modestly in Paris and claims to be broke. The island he left behind is the poorest, and according to social indicators the most wretched, in the hemisphere.

Ousted Haitian Dictator Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier Dies | Jean-Claude Duvalier | Global | BET Ousted Haitian Dictator Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier Dies Share Ousted Haitian Dictator Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier Dies The ex-leader who ruled by brutality and fear suffered a fatal heart attack at age 63. Published October 6, 2014 Jean-Claude “Baby Doc" Duvalier, who presided over Haiti as the self-proclaimed “president for life” from 1971 until he fled the country in 1986, died of a heart attack last Saturday, his attorney, Reynold George, recently confirmed . AP reports that the 63-year-old former leader passed away at a friend’s home in the country's capital, Port-au-Prince. President Michel Martelly expressed his “sincere condolences” to Duvalier’s family and the nation, referring to Duvalier on Twitter as “an authentic son of Haiti.” "Love and reconciliation must always prevail over our internal quarrels.

May he rest in peace," wrote Martelly, who insisted on honoring Duvalier “despite our quarrels and our differences.” At 19, Duvalier became the world’s youngest president after succeeding his father, Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier, who suddenly died of an illness. Both leaders led corrupt and brutal regimes in the impoverished country, which included torturing and killing political opponents and stealing government revenue. Driven out by nationwide riots protesting his failure to address illiteracy and poverty, Duvalier escaped to France in 1986. He returned to Haiti in 2011, moved into a wealthy suburb above the capital and was briefly detained . Human rights activists claim that an estimated 30,000 people were killed during the 30-year reign of the Duvalier father and son dictatorship, Al Jazeera reports . BET Global News - Your source for Black news from around the world, including international politics, health and human rights, the latest celebrity news and more. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

(Photo: Lee Celano/Getty Images) Haiti's 'Baby Doc,' once feared dictator, returns for mysterious visit after 25 years | cleveland.com Haiti's 'Baby Doc,' once feared dictator, returns for mysterious visit after 25 years Associated Press By Associated Press The Associated Press on January 17, 2011 at 11:53 AM, updated January 17, 2011 at 12:10 PM comments View full size Dieu Nalio Chery, Associated PressHaiti's former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier waves to supporters from a hotel balcony after his arrival in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Sunday. Duvalier returned Sunday to Haiti after nearly 25 years in exile, a surprising and perplexing move that comes as his country struggles with a political crisis and the stalled effort to recover from last year's devastating earthquake.

Jacob Kushner, Associated Press PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, a once feared and reviled dictator who was ousted in a popular uprising nearly 25 years ago, has made a stunning return to Haiti, raising concerns he could complicate efforts to solve a political crisis, a cholera outbreak and the stalled reconstruction from last year's devastating earthquake. Duvalier's arrival at the airport Sunday was as mysterious as it was unexpected. He greeted a crowd of several hundred cheering supporters but did not say why he chose this tumultuous period to suddenly reappear from his exile in France — or what he intended to do while back in Haiti. "I'm not here for politics," Duvalier told Radio Caraibes. "I'm here for the reconstruction of Haiti." His longtime companion, Veronique Roy, told reporters at one point that he planned to stay three days, but gave no further details. He planned to hold a news conference Monday.

President Rene Preval, a former anti-Duvalier activist made no public statement on the former dictator's re-emergence, though he told reporters in 2007 that Duvalier would face justice for the deaths of thousands of people and the theft of millions of dollars if he returned. Duvalier, however, apparently faces no charges in Haiti and there were no attempts to arrest him. National Police for a time guarded him at a luxury hotel before withdrawing, leaving security to hotel guards. Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive shrugged off Duvalier's appearance. "He is a Haitian and, as such, is free to return home," Bellerive told The Associated Press. Asked if Duvalier could destabilize the country, the prime minister said: "Until now, there's no reason to believe that." The 59-year-old Duvalier took power at age 19 as part of a father-and-son dynasty that presided over one of the darkest chapters in Haitian history, arrived on an Air France jet in a jacket and tie to hugs from supporters, waving to a crowd of about 200 as he climbed in an SUV and headed to a hotel with Roy.

"He is happy to be back in this country, back in his home," said Mona Beruaveau, a candidate for Senate in a Duvalierist party who spoke to the former dictator at the immigration office inside the airport terminal. "He is tired after a long trip." Later, Duvalier appeared on a balcony of the Karibe Hotel and waved to supporters and journalists outside. All he said was "tomorrow, tomorrow," apparently referring to the news conference. The government sent national police officers there to provide security. Roy, speaking briefly to reporters, was asked why he had returned now. "Why not?" she replied. Chronology of ex-dictator 'Baby Doc' Duvalier Chronology of ex-dictator 'Baby Doc' Duvalier Here is a brief chronology of milestones in the life of ex-Haitian dictator Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier: April 1971: Haitian dictator Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier dies and his teenage son, Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, becomes the country's president for life under a constitutional amendment that allowed "Papa Doc" to name his replacement. "Baby Doc" is just 19.

April 1985: After protests by religious groups against Duvalier's leadership, bloody confrontations are sparked between anti-government demonstrators and Duvalier's private militia, called Tonton Macoutes. Nov. 27, 1985: Three students are slain by security forces in Gonaives in the first of several bloody confrontations with anti-government demonstrators. December 1985: Protests broaden across the impoverished country. Duvalier orders significant reshuffle of his Cabinet. January 1986: Duvalier's administration closes schools and universities and forbids radio stations to report on the turmoil engulfing the country. More than 50 people are killed in disturbances, most by Tonton Macoutes. Duvalier declares 30-day state of siege. Jan. 31, 1986: Following weeks of unrest, White House spokesman Larry Speakes announces the collapse of the Duvalier government, a report that is later denied by Haitian and U.S. officials. Feb. 7, 1986: Duvalier and relatives fly to France aboard U.S. military jet.

National Council of Government, consisting of three military men and two civilians, led by Duvalier's army chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Henri Namphy, takes power. The country is destitute. Feb. 10, 1986: Provisional government, headed by Namphy, names 19-member Cabinet. It dissolves Assembly and Tonton Macoutes, reopens schools, frees political prisoners, and seeks to recover Duvaliers' assets. U.S. aid resumes, after being halted because of Duvalier abuses. March 29, 1987: Constitution bars Duvalierists from candidacy for 10 years. May 2007: A Geneva court temporarily blocks the release of some of the US$6.2 million stashed in Switzerland by Duvalier. Many in Haiti considered the money to have been stolen from public funds before Duvalier was ousted. August 2007: Swiss government extends a freeze on Duvalier's funds for a year.

February 2010: In a reversal, Switzerland's top court says at least US$4.6 million in Swiss bank accounts previously awarded to charities must be returned to the family of Duvalier. Jan. 16, 2011: Duvalier returns to Haiti after nearly 25 years in exile as Haiti struggles to recover from a devastating earthquake, deadly cholera outbreak, and an electoral crisis. Once a teenage ruler, Duvalier is now a large, stocky man with graying hair. He sometimes seemed disoriented as he faced the crowd, as if he were struggling to keep his eyes open. His return comes as the country struggles to work through a dire political crisis following the problematic Nov. 28 first-round presidential election. Three candidates want to go onto a second round. The Organization of American States sent in a team of experts to resolve the deadlock, recommending that Preval's candidate be excluded. OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza was scheduled to be in Port-au-Prince to meet with Preval on Monday.

The country meanwhile is dealing with a cholera outbreak that has killed more than 3,500 people since October and more than 1 million people are living in crowded, squalid tent encampments after their homes were destroyed from the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake. At one of those camps, there was some enthusiasm for Duvalier's return. "I don't know much about Jean-Claude Duvalier but I've heard he did good things for the country," said 34-year-old Joel Pierre. "I hope he will do good things again." Nearby, 42-year-old Marline Joseph, living in the camp with her three children, was also somewhat hopeful. "He's here, that's good. Now, what is he going to do for the country?" Recent stories on cleveland.com More about haiti But the human rights groups Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch issued statements urging Haiti to hold Duvalier accountable for the torture and killing of civilians during his 15-year rule. "The Haitian authorities must break the cycle of impunity that prevailed for decades in Haiti," said Javier Zuniga, a special adviser at Amnesty International.

"Failing to bring to justice those responsible will only lead to further human rights abuses." Haitians danced in the streets to celebrate the overthrow of Duvalier back in 1986, heckling the tubby, boyish tyrant as he drove to the airport and was flown into exile in France. Most Haitians hoped the rapacious strongman had left for good, closing a dark chapter of terror and repression that began under his late father, Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier in 1957. But a handful of loyalists have been campaigning to bring Duvalier home from exile in France, launching a foundation to improve the dictatorship's image and reviving Baby Doc's political party in the hopes that one day he can return to power democratically. To their advantage is the fact that half the people in the country are younger than 21 — and weren't alive during Duvalier's rule.

View full size Esteban Felix, AP fileSupporters wave images of the former Haitian Presidents Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, center, and Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, left, during a celebration honoring the secret police 'Tonton Makout.' Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier returned to Haiti after nearly 25 years in exile Sunday. "We want him to be president because we don't trust anyone in this election. He did bad things but since he left we have not had stability. We have more people without jobs, without homes," said Haiti Belizaire, a 47-year-old Duvalier supporter in the crowd outside the airport. The Duvaliers tortured and killed their political opponents, ruling in an atmosphere of fear and repression ensured by the bloody Tonton Macoute, their feared secret police force. The end of his reign was followed by a period known as deshoukaj or "uprooting" in which Haitians carried out reprisals against Macoutes and regime loyalists, tearing their houses to the ground.

Duvalier has been accused of pilfering millions of dollars from public funds and spiriting them out of the country to Swiss banks, though he denies stealing from Haiti But there have been repeated suggestions Duvalier faces money problems. Swiss lawmakers in September approved a bill that would make it easier for the country to seize cash stashed by deposed dictators. The SDA news agency reported that Haiti would receive about $7 million seized from Duvalier. The return baffled Haiti experts and has thrown the country's entire political situation into question. Immediately speculation began about what other exiled leaders might return next.

"I was shocked when I heard the news and I am still wondering what is the next step, what Preval will say and obviously what (exiled former President Jean-Bertrand) Aristide will be doing," said Robert Fatton, a Haitian-born history professor at the University of Virginia and author of "The Roots of Haitian Despotism." "If Jean-Claude is back in the country I assume Aristide will be trying to get back as quickly as possible." Fatton wondered what role the French government played in Duvalier's return, saying they would have had to have been aware that the ex-despot was boarding an Air France jet to go home. Author Amy Wilentz, whose book "The Rainy Season" is a definitive account of the aftermath of Duvalier's exile and Aristide's rise, said: "This is not the right moment for such upheaval." "Let's not forget what Duvalierism was: prison camps, torture, arbitrary arrest, extrajudicial killings, persecution of the opposition," she wrote in an e-mail to AP.

And, she added, "If Haitian authorities allow Duvalier to return, can they thwart exiled President Aristide's desire to come back to the country?" "Haitians need a steady hand to guide them through the earthquake recovery, not the ministrations of a scion of dictatorship." __ Associated Press writers Jonathan M. Katz in New York and Ben Fox in San Juan, Puerto Rico contributed to this report. Ex-dictator 'Baby Doc' Duvalier returns to Haiti - World news - Haiti | NBC News Ex-dictator 'Baby Doc' Duvalier returns to Haiti Accused of pilfering millions of dollars, he was forced out in 1986 by a popular uprising Below: Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier waves from a hotel in Petionville, Haiti, on Sunday. msnbc.com news services + - PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier made a surprise return from exile to Haiti on Sunday, saying he wanted to help in the rebuilding of his earthquake-battered nation.

It was the first time that Duvalier, who is now 59 but was once the world's youngest head of state at 19, had returned to Haiti since he was forced out in 1986 by a popular uprising and U.S. pressure. His unexpected return comes at a time when Haiti, still the poorest state in the Western Hemisphere, is facing political uncertainty following Nov. 28 presidential and legislative elections whose preliminary results have triggered fraud allegations and violent street protests. The chaotic elections went ahead during a cholera epidemic in the country, which is still recovering from a devastating earthquake a year ago that killed more than 300,000 people. Video: One year later, Haiti struggles to balance hope, hurt (on this page) 'Great joy' Wearing a blue suit and tie and accompanied by his French wife, Veronique Roy, Duvalier arrived at Port-au-Prince airport on an Air France flight from Paris, witnesses said. Related story Children of rape are latest legacy of Haiti quake Social breakdown fuels sexual violence and its aftermath in disaster-ravaged tent cities "I was waiting for this moment for a long time.

When I first set foot on the ground, I felt great joy," Duvalier said, while hundreds of enthusiastic supporters outside the airport chanted "Long live Duvalier!". The former ruler, who as a chubby playboy assumed power in Haiti in 1971 on the death of his father, the feared autocratic Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, said he had returned to his homeland "because I know the people are suffering". Advertise "I wanted to show them my solidarity, to tell them that I am here, I am well disposed and determined to participate in the rebirth of Haiti," he told Reuters, without spelling out his exact intentions. "He is happy to be back in this country, back in his home," added Mona Beruaveau, a candidate for Senate in a Duvalierist party after speaking to the former dictator. "He is tired after a long trip." Fear, corruption Not everyone was enthusiastic about the return of the surviving member of the father-and-son Duvalier dynasty, which marked a 28-year epoch of fear and corruption in Haitian life. "We are waiting to see what he's doing here. But it's not a good thing.

I lived under Duvalier," said one Port-au-Prince resident, Christian Joseph, 49. "I don't know much about Jean-Claude Duvalier but I've heard he did good things for the country," said 34-year-old Joel Pierre. "I hope he will do good things again." Some were even afraid to talk about him. "Are you joking? He would kill me. Don't you know Duvalier?" said another person, who would not give a name. During his rule, "Baby Doc" Duvalier had tried to improve Haiti's image after the rule of terror of his despotic father. The Duvaliers tortured and killed their political opponents, ruling in an atmosphere of fear and repression ensured by the bloody Tonton Macoute, their feared secret police force. Well aware of the outside world's contempt for the Tonton Macoutes thugs with their dark sunglasses and pistols who served his "Papa Doc", Duvalier renamed them "the volunteers for national security." However, he did not get rid of them. He had also faced accusations of corruption, political repression and human rights abuses when he fled the country in 1986.

The end of his reign was followed by a period known as deshoukaj or "uprooting" in which Haitians carried out reprisals against Macoutes and regime loyalists, tearing their houses to the ground. Kathy Willens / AP Haiti's former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier gives a news conference at his ranch on the outskirts of Port Au Prince, Haiti, in 1980. However, no current arrest warrants were known to exist against him, and as Haiti's existing constitution bans the practice of exile for Haitians, there was nothing legally preventing his return. Advertise A source close to Duvalier said he had returned under a diplomatic passport, but was required to inform Haiti's Interior Ministry of his whereabouts. Duvalier has been accused of pilfering millions of dollars from public funds and spiriting them out of the country to Swiss banks, though he denies stealing from Haiti. In the fall of 2007, President Rene Preval told reporters that Duvalier could return to Haiti but would face justice for the deaths of thousands of people and the theft of millions of dollars.

Haitians danced in the streets to celebrate the overthrow of Duvalier back in 1986, heckling the tubby, boyish tyrant as he drove to the airport and was flown into exile in France. But a handful of loyalists have been campaigning to bring Duvalier home from exile in France, launching a foundation to improve the dictatorship's image and reviving Baby Doc's political party in the hopes that one day he can return to power democratically. "We want him to be president because we don't trust anyone in this election. He did bad things but since he left we have not had stability. We have more people without jobs, without homes," said Haiti Belizaire, a 47-year-old Duvalier supporter in the crowd outside the airport. Half the people in the country are younger than 21, and weren't alive during Duvalier's rule.

Video: Time stands still in quake-hit Haitian town (on this page) Author Amy Wilentz, whose book "The Rainy Season" is a definitive account of the aftermath of Duvalier's exile, said: "This is not the right moment for such upheaval." "Let's not forget what Duvalierism was: prison camps, torture, arbitrary arrest, extrajudicial killings, persecution of the opposition," she wrote in an e-mail to AP. And, she added, "If Haitian authorities allow Duvalier to return, can they thwart exiled President Aristide's desire to come back to the country?" "Haitians need a steady hand to guide them through the earthquake recovery, not the ministrations of a scion of dictatorship." Turbulent atmosphere Duvalier's return adds a new intriguing figure to the turbulent atmosphere in Haiti, just days after the country commemorated the first anniversary of the massive Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake. The outcome of the confused Nov. 28 elections is still up in the air after a team of Organization of American States (OAS) experts last week delivered a report to outgoing President Rene Preval challenging the preliminary official results from the vote.

Advertise Preval has said he has "reservations" about the OAS report, which recommends that government technocrat and Preval protege Jude Celestin be eliminated from a second round run-off vote in favor of popular musician Michel Martelly. Preval, accused by opponents of rigging the U.N.-backed November elections that took place amid widespread fraud allegations, had originally asked the OAS to help verify the disputed preliminary election results. Slideshow: Haiti : One year after the earthquake (on this page) It was not clear whether Preval would reject the OAS report's recommendation or seek to discuss his reservations further with the OAS experts. Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council is the final arbiter of elections in Haiti. The OAS report, which cited "significant" vote tally irregularities, confirmed opposition matriarch Mirlande Manigat as the candidate who won the most votes in the first round. Only on NBCNews.com French to send 1,000 more troops to Mali She did not gain enough votes to win outright but is in the second-round run-off. But whether this will be with Celestin or Martelly remains to be seen.

Election observers say that even if the CEP heeds the OAS experts' findings, it still has to complete a disputes settlement procedure before it can formally announce final revised results from the first round vote. This means Haiti will not be able to hold a presidential election second round run-off before February, at the earliest. Last month's protests and violence triggered by the Dec. 7 announcement of the results killed at least four people and increased fears that instability could delay the hand-over of billions of dollars of reconstruction funds for Haiti from foreign donors. The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report. Related slideshows A Haitian woman prays with a Bible in her hand during ceremonies to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the devastating earthquake in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 12, 2011.The quake flattened much of the capital Port-au-Prince. (Kena Betancur / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation Haitians hold hands during a ceremony at St. Christophe, where thousands of victims of the 2010 earthquake are buried, in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 11. Haiti began two days of remembrance ceremonies in honor of the nearly quarter million people who died in an earthquake.

(Hector Retamal / AFP - Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation Advertise Haitian workers celebrate after the inauguration of the reconstructed Hyppolite Iron Market in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 11. The historic trading center was originally constructed in the 1890s and has been rebuilt this year after a fire leveled it shortly after the earthquake. (Jorge Silva / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation Advertise A woman walks past an earthquake-damaged building on Jan. 11 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on the eve of the first anniversary of the earthquake. (Paul Chiasson / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation Martina Raymond, 5, center, stands in front of her family tent with neighbors Revdania Henry, 4, left, and Henderson Henry, 2, in a makeshift camp at the Petionville golf club on Jan. 11 in Port-au-Prince. According to UNICEF, more than half of the 4 million children in Haiti still do not attend school. In addition to educational difficulties, Haiti's children also suffer from poor access to basic water, health care and sanitation.

(Mario Tama / Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation Advertise An aerial view of a tent city in a Port-au-Prince on Jan. 10. (Thony Belizaire / AFP - Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation A woman walks at a mass grave site at Tituyan, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince on Jan. 11. (Jorge Silva / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation Residents stand near an abandoned airplane in the middle of La Piste camp on January 11 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The camp is located on a former military airport and houses approximately 50,000 Haitians displaced by the earthquake. The one-year anniversary of the Haitian earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people will be marked on January 12. (Mario Tama / Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation Soccer players from Haiti's Zaryen team (in blue) and the national amputee team fight for the ball during a friendly match at the national stadium in Port-au-Prince on Jan.10.

Sprinting on their crutches at breakneck speed, the young soccer players who lost legs in Haiti's earthquake last year project a symbol of hope and resilience in a land where so much is broken. (Kena Betancur / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation Presidential candidate Jude Celestin, center, gestures to supporters during a campaign rally in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Monday, Jan 10. An Organization of American States international monitoring team will recommend on Monday to President Rene Preval that Haiti's government-backed candidate Jude Celestin be eliminated from a presidential runoff election in favor of Michel Martelly, a popular musician who finished a close third in the contested official results, according to a copy of a report obtained by the Associated Press. (Ramon Espinosa / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation Students practice a lesson at L'ecole Nationale Filles de Marie (Daughters of Mary National School) near the end of the school day on Jan. 10, 2011 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The Catholic school collapsed during the earthquake in 2010, killing 16 nuns, but no students died because they had left for the day.

The school has been partially rebuilt and houses 600 students. According to UNICEF, more than half of four million Haitian children still do not attend school. Approximately 5,000 schools were damaged by the earthquake and rebuilding has been crippled by the clearing of rubble and land issues. In addition to educational difficulties, Haiti's children also suffer from inequitable access to basic water, health care and sanitation. Jan. 12 is the one-year anniversary of the Haitian earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people. (Mario Tama / Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation A Haitian evangelical parishioner looks up during a mass to remember earthquake victims at national stadium in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 9. Haiti will this week mark the first anniversary of the earthquake that killed more than 200,000 people and destroyed much of capital Port-au-Prince. (Jorge Silva / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation Advertise Achebelle Debora St. Til, 6, dances at the Festival of Hope, a rally led by Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham, at a soccer stadium in downtown Port-au-Prince on Jan.

9. (Allison Shelley / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation A boy plays in a refuse-clogged canal in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 9. When the ground shook Haiti a year ago, toppling homes like cards and killing some 200,000 people, world leaders promised quick action to ease the human tragedy and rebuild the country. A year on, the Western Hemisphere's poorest country is still reeling from the earthquake, and the international community's capacity to deliver and sustain aid effectively is being sorely tested. (Jorge Silva / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation Haitians stay in a tent erected in a destroyed house in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 9. (Eduardo Munoz / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation Advertise Orich Florestal, 24, left, and Rosemond Altidon, 22, stand on the edge of their partially destroyed apartment on Jan. 9. (Allison Shelley / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation A woman prays during services in front of the destroyed Port-au-Prince Cathedral on Jan. 9. Haitians gather for services outside the destroyed cathedral every Sunday.

(Mario Tama / Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation Advertise People walk on a street in downtown Port-au-Prince on Jan. 9. (Jorge Silva / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation People displaced by the massive 2010 earthquake live in temporary shelters put up by Samaritan's Purse, a charity, on Jan. 8 in Cabaret, Haiti. Hundreds of thousands of people still live in temporary shelters. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation Related interactive Children of rape are latest legacy of Haiti quake The Presidential Palace is still in ruins as displaced people live in tents in a park across the street almost one year after the massive earthquake on Jan. 8 in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation Haitians wash clothes and hang them to dry on rebar remnants of a building destroyed by the 2010 earthquake. (Mario Tama / Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation Advertise Parishioners from St.

Louis King of France Catholic Church dedicate a cross and a memorial put up in memory of the tens of thousands of people killed in the massive earthquake and buried in the mass grave at Titanyen, on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images) Share Back to slideshow navigation Velune Noel, 24, lies with her cholera-infected 12-month-old son Peterson Sharmont, on a cot at a Samaritan's Purse cholera treatment center in the Cite Soleil neighborhood of Port-au-Prince on Jan. 8. (Allison Shelley / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation A Haitian man builds a wooden house Jan. 8 next to houses destroyed by the January 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince. Reconstruction has barely begun in Haiti a year after its catastrophic earthquake, a leading international charity said on Wednesday in a report sharply critical of a recovery commission led by former U.S. President Bill Clinton. (Eduardo Munoz / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation People play soccer at the site of earthquake-damaged houses in downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Jan. 7.

(Ramon Espinosa / AP) Share Back to slideshow navigation Haitians work on rebuilding an iron market building destroyed by the January 2010 earthquake in downtown Port-au-Prince. (Eduardo Munoz / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation A man removes debris from the January 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 6, 2011. (Kena Betancur / Reuters) Share Back to slideshow navigation Editor's note: This image contains graphic content that some viewers may find disturbing. Click to view the image, or use the buttons above to navigate away. This image contains graphic content that some viewers may find disturbing. Click to view the image, or use the buttons above to navigate away. This image contains graphic content that some viewers may find disturbing. Click to view the image, or use the buttons above to navigate away. Advertise >>> as we continue tonight, one year later scenes from haiti where parts of the country look as though the devastating earthquake hit just yesterday. tonight we have a follow-up on a remarkable story we told you about a year ago. it happened in haiti . it's the simple and powerful bond of love.

we went to port-au-prince and have the report tonight. >> reporter: as they comb through a mountain of rubble almost a week after haiti 's devastating earthquake, rescuers from los angeles doubted they would find anyone alive. the collapsed building has been a bank, and the last place the manager was seen alive. even as the days ticked away, her husband, roger, never lost hope. >> i knew that she was there. >> reporter: for six straight days roger stood vigil. he spent every day of the last 15 years with his wichlt he wasn't about to leave her now. >> i called for her. she didn't answer me. >> reporter: or so he thought. under 30 feet of broken concrete in total darkness, she called out for roger just as he did for her. did you hear your husband? >> yeah, every time i heard him. and i said i'm still alive. i'm alive. i'm alive. please help me. i'm alive. >> reporter: though he couldn't hear her pleas, he moeshlized help convincing an excavator to clear piles of rubble. after six days came the moment he was waiting for.

the rescuers moved in climbing into the hole where she was trapped shooting this video with their cell phones. after working for hours fearing another collapse, they finally managed to free her pinned hand. >> okay. hon, you're out of here. >> reporter: they carried her out, and it was then that she started to sing. >> it's probably the most moving moment for any rescue i'll ever have. >> reporter: months later in a satellite interview, she finally got a chance to say thank you. >> i love you. god bless you. >> reporter: she's now back at her old job at port-au-prince but not in the same building. it's still in ruins. despite her ordeal and losing four fingers, she says she hasn't had a single day of depression. >> i'm very happy to be alive. i admit i feel sadness. >> reporter: just moments of happiness with her husband. >> i look at her, and i admire her. >> every day. >> every time. >> reporter: a new life filled with joy and a familiar song. don't be afraid, she sings, god is here. words that coarried one woman through the darkness back into the light .

nbc news, port-au-prince. | Miami Herald Order Reprint of this Story PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier was cremated Saturday, according to friends who accompanied his body back to the funeral home after a simple Catholic Mass in which he was remembered as the 19-year-old boy president who became a wise man. President Michel Martelly denied an official send-off to Duvalier, Haiti’s ninth president-for-life and one of its most controversial leaders. There was no national anthem sung, no flags lowered to half-staff and no official mourning period. But there was a Haitian flag draping his dark brown coffin. It was not the black and red adopted by him and his father, Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier, during their 29-year father-and-son dictatorial rule, but rather the blue and red flag reintroduced after the regime’s fall on Feb. 7, 1986. In Haiti, that flag has come to symbolize anti-Duvalierism and the vexing struggle for democratic rule.

“They could have used the black and red, and didn’t; so it should be appreciated and praised, and seen as the family divorcing themselves from the totalitarian regime and endorsing the rule of law, republican regime,” said Georges Michel, one of the authors of Haiti’s post Duvalier-era 1987 Constitution. “I believe it was a gesture of reconciliation.” Among the hundreds of mourners packing the church two former presidents: Boniface Alexandre and Gen. Prosper Avril. Absent were members of the foreign diplomatic corps, Martelly and Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe. But Martelly’s friend and adviser Gregory Mayard-Paul, the head of Haiti’s counter-narcotics agency and former Interior Minister David Basile and Haiti’s Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Fritz Cinéas, who once served as Francois Duvalier’s private secretary, were there. Only Cinéas acknowledged the controversial nature of Duvalier’s 15-year-reign. “While in power,” Cinéas said during the Mass, “was he trapped by ill-intention collaborators? Was he intolerant? Was he weak and did he stay silent in front of abuse committed by some of his friends or partisans?

Did he, because of his young age, indulge more in the pleasures of life rather than worry about the affairs of the State?” “It is still too early for the judgment of history to clearly establish responsibilities,” Cinéas said. “Unlike what the press sometimes wrongly reports, he did publicly acknowledge his mistakes and offered his apologies to the people.” Shortly after his shocking return to Haiti nearly four years ago after 25 years in exile in France, the former president-for-life said at a news conference: “I take this opportunity to express my deep sadness to my countrymen who rightly feel like they may have been victims under my government.” For victims of the Duvalier regime, however, the words weren’t enough. Dozens sued the ailing dictator, accusing him of crimes against humanity and human rights abuses. The case was still pending when he suffered a heart attack at 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 4 over a breakfast of cornflakes and milk at the house of his friend and former army colonel, Joseph Baguidy.

As Duvalier was eulogized inside Saint Louis de Gonzague Catholic Church, more than three dozen demonstrators — mostly the young offspring of his victims who were either killed, jailed, tortured, disappeared or forced into exile during his presidency — staged a sit-in in front of the Citizens Protection Office, a government agency that is supposed to register abuse grievances. With their mouths tied with handkerchiefs, and dressed in white shirts stained with red ink symbolizing blood, demonstrators held signs that read, “You cannot forget what the Duvalier dictatorship did to the country.” The Center for Justice and Accountability, a San Francisco-based human rights group, estimates that anywhere from 300 to 4,000 political prisoners were held incommunicado in a network of prisons called the “Triangle of Death.” Many died from starvation and lack of medical care amid the putrid and cramped conditions, the group said. “We wanted to make sure we marked this moment,” said Elisabeth Pierre-Louis, daughter of former Haitian Prime Minister Michele Pierre-Louis, and one of the demonstrators. The symbolic protest had been organized by Asire, one of several groups that lobbied against any official send-off.

“A national funeral would have dishonored the victims,” Pierre-Louis said. “He was not the wise and nice president that they have made him out to be.” Supporters and friends disagree. “He had a quiet temperament and was incapable of impoliteness,” Cinéas said. “Recently, his allure was that of a wise man and we had all noticed on his face, the beauty of his wisdom.” Priest Occide “Père Sicot” Jean recalled their years of friendship and Duvalier’s support for Haiti’s farmers like Simon Saint-Vil, who criticized the lack of government presence and official commendations. “Only God can judge the soul,” Jean said during his 11-minute eulogy in French. “The judgment of a man does not go beyond the physical, which is an envelope that rots and decomposes after man’s transformation following his physical death.” His words garnered a standing ovation and applause from the crowd. One man threw himself across the casket. As Jean spoke, Duvalier’s two sisters, ex-wife Michèle Bennett and the couple’s two children, Francois Nicolas and Anya, listened from a front pew.

Across from them, in another front pew facing the draped coffin, sat Duvalier’s long-time companion Veronique Roy. She was dressed in a simple black suit with her trademark dark shades and ponytail, and was barely acknowledged during the Mass. “For over 24 years, my life has been Jean-Claude and Haiti, and it will forever be Jean-Claude and Haiti,” Roy later told the Miami Herald. At the conclusion of the Mass, Bennett and the children were each allowed to bless Duvalier’s casket — but not Roy — with Holy Water before Baguidy and other aging, former army officials, saluted the casket and carried it out the church. Alongside her son Francois Nicolas Duvalier (at left), Michele Bennett, the ex-wife of former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, gets a hug from Colonel Joseph Baguidy, who was having breakfast with Duvalier when he died. The morning funeral for the former Haitian dictator was held at the Chapelle Saint Louis de Gonzague in Port au Prince, Haiti today Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014.

PATRICK FARRELL MIAMI HERALD Longtime Duvalier companion Véronique Roy (in sunglasses at left) and ex-wife Michèle Bennett (at far right in white framed glasses) attend the funeral of the former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier at the Chapelle Saint Louis de Gonzague in Port au Prince, Haiti on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. PATRICK FARRELL MIAMI HERALD Francois Nicolas Duvalier gets a hug at the funeral for his father former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier at the Chapelle Saint Louis de Gonzague in Port au Prince, Haiti on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. PATRICK FARRELL MIAMI HERALD Overcome with emotion Guylene Manoit falls to the ground outside the funeral for former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier at the Chapelle Saint Louis de Gonzague in Port au Prince, Haiti on Saturday, Oct.11, 2014.

PATRICK FARRELL MIAMI HERALD (corrected) A man rushed to the altar and draped his body over the casket during the funeral for former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier at the Chapelle Saint Louis de Gonzague in Port au Prince, Haiti on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. PATRICK FARRELL MIAMI HERALD A man reads the program during the funeral for former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier at the Chapelle Saint Louis de Gonzague in Port au Prince, Haiti on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. PATRICK FARRELL MIAMI HERALD A man shows his condolences to longtime Duvalier companion Veronique Roy at the funeral of the former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier at the Chapelle Saint Louis de Gonzague in Port au Prince, Haiti on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014.

PATRICK FARRELL MIAMI HERALD Crowds gather around the casket at the funeral for former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier at the Chapelle Saint Louis de Gonzague in Port au Prince, Haiti on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. PATRICK FARRELL MIAMI HERALD A mourner throws her arms in the air as th hearse leaves the funeral for former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier at the Chapelle Saint Louis de Gonzague in Port au Prince, Haiti on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. PATRICK FARRELL MIAMI HERALD A mourner is lead from the funeral for former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier at the Chapelle Saint Louis de Gonzague in Port au Prince, Haiti on Saturday. Oct, 11, 2014.

PATRICK FARRELL MIAMI HERALD The casket leaves the church at the funeral for former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier at the Chapelle Saint Louis de Gonzague in Port au Prince, Haiti on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014. PATRICK FARRELL MIAMI HERALD Demonstrators with the Asire organization hold a symbolic protest outside of the Haitian government's Ombudsmen office Saturday morning, Oct. 11, 2014, while former President for Life Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier was being eulogized during his funeral Mass. The sign reads, "So we do not forget what the Duvalier dictatorship did to the country." Josue Azor COURTESY OF JOSUE AZOR Demonstrators with the Asire organization hold a symbolic protest outside of the Haitian government's Ombudsmen office Saturday morning, Saturday morning, Oct. 11, 2014, while former President for Life Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier was being eulogized during his funeral Mass.

The sign reads, "So we do not forget what the Duvalier dictatorship did to the country." Josue Azor COURTESY OF JOSUE AZOR 1 of 13 1000+ images about Haiti History♡♡♡ on Pinterest | Eugene o'neill, Military and Volunteers Forward Ertha Pascal-Trouillot is the first woman elected President of Haiti, acting in office from March 13, 1990 to – February 7, 1991. She was an affiliate of the Independent political party. Pascal-Trouillot was chief justice when she temporarily became Haïti’s first female president. Her job as provisional head was to coordinate the transition to democracy with the Council of State, which had veto power over her. She oversaw the first truly free elections in Haiti on December 16, 1990. See More

Question: Father and son Baby Doc Duvalier and Papa Doc Duvalier spent 30 years as leaders of which country?
Answer: Haiti