The former dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier, accompanied by his lawyers Me Reynold Georges and Fitzo Canton, appeared this Thursday, February 28 before the Haitian justice, dozens of supporters cheered when he appeared in court. Dark suit, white shirt, he sat down shortly before 11:00 am with his wife Veronique Roy, before a packed house, former victims and human rights organizations.

Outside the building, dozens of people dressed in black and red, colors of the old regime manifested in favor of the former dictator, shouting "Vive Duvalier."*

"Have you fully assumed your responsibilities from 1971 to 1986 ? " asked the judge Jean-Joseph Lebrun in a crowded room "I think I have made ​​every effort to ensure a decent life for my fellow [...] At the time, the government managed misery, but public enterprises worked well [...] and Haitians sent their children to school. I can not say that life was pink but people lived decently," affirmed the former President adding "On my return, I found a country collapsed and riddled with corruption [...] It's my turn to ask: what have you done to my country ?" under the applause of his supporters present in the Chamber, to a few meters from former victims of the Duvalier regime.

"You are accused of illegal arrests, torture and political assassinations. What do you answer ?" again asked the judge. "Every time cases were reported, I intervened for justice to be done," answered Duvalier whose answers sometimes inaudible, should be repeated by the Clerk.

Update 4h00 pm

After a hearing of nearly 5 hours, the judges have decided to adjourn the session and postpone the continuation of the hearing of former President Duvalier, next week.

Update 4h10 pm

After the hearing, Reed Brody Legal Counsel for Human Rights Watch declared "It is already a historic victory in a country where the rich and powerful have always been above the law. Who would have thought that one day Duvalier would be forced to face his victims in court, to undergo questioning about his alleged crimes, and having to listen to the names of persons who have suffered torture ? Whatever the next step, Haitians will remember the image of their former dictator, forced to answer questions about the repression carried out during his reign."

Duvalier a complex case to judge

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-7990-haiti-justice-duvalier-a-complex-case-to-judge.html

HL/ HaitiLibre