Jean-Claude ‘Baby Doc’ Duvalier surprises Haiti with return
[Update, Jan. 18, 2:50 p.m.: Haitian police led ex-dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier out of his hotel and took him to court Tuesday without saying whether he was being charged with crimes committed under his brutal regime.
Update, Jan. 18, 2.15 p.m.: Haitian police escorted former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier from the hotel where he has stayed since his return from a 25-year exile two days ago, according to images transmitted by Telesur television.]
Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, a former dictator, mysteriously returned to Haiti Sunday for the first time since he was deposed in a coup 25 years ago.
The former ruler arrives in Haiti as the nation faces political uncertainty surrounding disputed elections and the one-year anniversary of an earthquake that killed 230,000 people.
Duvalier came to power after the death of his father, the authoritarian ruler , known as “Papa Doc," in 1971. At age 19, the son became the world's youngest head of state. He ruled Haiti until 1986, when a popular revolt — and U.S. pressure — ousted him from power in 1986. He has been living in exile in France since.
Duvalier, 59, arrived in Port-au-Prince with his wife, Veronique Roy, on an Air France flight, AFP reports.
The return, which has surprised Haitian officials, comes as the country struggles with how to handle a presidential election that led to deadly riots and that remains unresolved. A leaked draft of a report by the Organization of American States (OAS) rejected the results of the November election and said the candidate of President Rene Preval, Jude Celestin, should step aside before a second run-off. The report confirmed former first lady Mirland Manigat as the leader in the first round of voting.
Duvalier's return also comes as Haiti marks the one-year anniversary of an earthquake that devastate the capital and much of the country. See this GlobalPost collection of photographs from the Haiti earthquake.
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