Filed under: News, Profiles, Politics
Maybe justice will prevail in the return to Haiti of despotic leader Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier (pictured).
Baby Doc, who had been meeting with associates and waiting in a posh hotel in Haiti since his return Sunday, was arrested on Tuesday for crimes believed to have been committed during his brutal leadership a generation ago.
While the arrest is welcome news to many, questions still exist:
- Is Baby Doc's return a prelude to an attempted return to power?
- Will Duvalier face a full trial for atrocities committed when he ran the government?
Ex-President Jean Bertrand Aristide forced Baby Doc in to exile but then was forced in to exile himself in 2004.
The Haitian story has all the intrigue of a novel - too bad that the fate of so many lives are in the balance.
It's not at all surprising that former Haitian leaders are buzzing around the devastated island - looking for a new land to pillage.
At 19, Baby Doc took power in 1971 from his father, Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, who was even a more brutal leader than his son. Duvalier is believed to still have some supporters on the island, so his return to power is not out of the question despite his past crimes.
Baby Doc could exploit a political vacuum left by the questionable Nov. 28th election held between a candidate selected by President Rene Preval and a popular carnival singer. The candidates tied in the first round of voting and a second ballot was scheduled for Sunday - the day Baby Doc returned.
The most pressing question I can see, for now, is who worked for Baby Doc's return?
His butt should have been slapped in handcuffs the second he stepped on to Haitian soil in order to face questioning for the millions of dollars in government funds that left the island when he was exiled to France and the disappearance of many of his political opponents.
That didn't happen, but the fact that he did get arrested provides a glimmer of hope for the fate of the Haitian people.