Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier Arrested Upon Haiti Return

by Jordan Yerman | January 18, 2011 at 09:16 am

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Baby Doc: Former Dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier Arrested in Haiti

Former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier returned to Haiti after 25 years in exile. Two days after his arrival, Baby Doc was arrested at the Karibe Hotel in Port-au-Prince.

Baby Doc Duvbalier took over Haiti at age 19, ruling the country from 1971 to 1986. A popular revolt forced him to flee the country. Duvalier, like his father, Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, used Haiti's secret police to keep the populace in line.

Cholera Outbreak in Haiti

Observers are worried that Duvalier's return will destabilize Haiti further, as his arrival coincided with Haiti's second-round presidential elections. Haiti elections are on hold, though, pending a dispute over which candidates should be represented on the ballot.

Judge Gabriel Ambroise and Haitian attorney Reynold Georges arrived at the hotel about 10:30 a.m., as Haitian police officers were asked to secure the premises, and a helicopter could be heard loudly overhead.

Human rights groups have long called for Duvalier to be arrested and face justice for the excesses of his 15-year rule, during which he was also accused of siphoning away funds from the country's treasury.