By Ramon Espinosa, AP
Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier has been taken into custody after his surprise return from exile after 24 years.
CNN reports that he has been arrested, but the Associated Press is more cautious, saying police have Duvalier from the hotel, but says it is unclear whether he was formally arrested.
Henry Robert Sterlin, a former ambassador under Duvalier who has said in recent days that he was speaking as a spokesman for the former dictator, told reporters at the scene he was shocked by the developments, the AP reports. “Let’s see if they put him in prison,” he said.
Earlier posting: Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier, who made a surprise return to Haiti after 24 years in exile, will be questioned by authorities to determine whether he should be prosecuted for past crimes, Reuters reports, quoting a senior government official.
The 59-year-old Duvalier showed up unannounced in Haiti on Monday and has been holed up in a hotel in the capital. Today, he was visited by Haiti’s chief prosecutor as SWAT teams secured the hotel.
Duvalier inherited control of the impoverished country in 1971 at the age of 19 following the death of his notorious father Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier, who had ruled the country from 1957.
Human Rights Watch, which has called for Duvalier’s arrest, says the Duvaliers ordered the deaths of some 20,000 to 30,000 civilians during their bloody reign.
“Official torture and murder were commonplace under both father and son,” the human rights organization says. “The Duvaliers stunted civil society with harsh repression of any signs of independence among political parties, trade unions, and the press.”
Source: USA Today
