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Haiti: Reports of persons associated with the Duvalier regime being attacked or targeted; support for and opposition to Duvalier (2005-2008)

Reports of persons associated with the Duvalier regime being attacked or targeted could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints for this Response.

Support for Duvalier

Media sources indicate that some Haitians still support Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, the former dictator who ruled Haiti from 1971 to 1986 and has been living in exile in France since that time (The New York Times 23 Mar. 2008; AP 21 Apr. 2007; Latinnews Daily 2 Oct. 2007). Latinnews Daily, a London-based publication specializing in Latin America and the Carribean (Latinnews n.d.), reports that in a 2005 Gallup opinion poll conducted in Haiti's six main cities, Duvalier was ranked as the most popular Haitian president of the past 20 years (Latinnews Daily 16 Sept. 2005). Respondents to the poll indicated that insecurity and unemployment were less problematic during Duvalier's rule (ibid.). Similarly, other media sources report that some Haitians are nostalgic for the relative stability and security during that time (The New York Times 23 Mar. 2008; AP 21 Apr. 2007).

According to the Associated Press (AP), in April 2007 "dozens" of Duvalier supporters, including former military officers and a leader of Duvalier's militia, gathered at a home in Port-au-Prince to celebrate what would have been the 100th birthday of François "Papa Doc" Duvalier, father of Jean-Claude and dictator of Haiti from 1957 until his death in 1971 (AP 21 April 2007). In 2006, his supporters launched the François Duvalier Foundation (ibid.; The Guardian 26 Sept. 2007). According to AP, his supporters also offer "pro-Duvalier" lectures and plan to start a Duvalier library and website (AP 21 April 2007). A book entitled "The Misunderstood," (Au gré de la mémoire, François Duvalier le mal-aimé [Haiti-Référence 2 Nov. 2008]) a sympathetic portrayal of François Duvalier which was written by a former information minister of the Duvalier regime, sold all copies in its initial 1,000 print run (Los Angeles Times 2 Sept. 2007). The author reportedly attributes the book's success to nostalgia for a lost sense of order and national pride (ibid.).

The National Unity Party (Parti de l'unité nationale, PUN), the former party of the Duvaliers, has been revived and was recognized as a Haitian political party on 9 July 2005 (Haiti July 2005, PHW 2007 2007, 512). Latinnews Daily reports that PUN leaders had planned to register Jean-Claude Duvalier in the 2006 Haitian presidential election, but that the Provisional Electoral Council (Conseil électoral provisoire, CEP) requires that a candidate register in person (Latinnews Daily 16 Sept. 2005). According to media sources, the party claims "thousands" of members, but does not hold any seats in parliament (The Guardian 26 Sept. 2007; Dow Jones International News 24 Sept. 2007). Political Handbook of the World 2007 lists Jean-Claude Duvalier as the party's leader in exile and notes that he was nominated as the party's presidential candidate (PHW 2007 2007, 512).

Opposition to Duvalier

According to media sources, Duvalier supporters do not gather in public because of "lingering animosity" (Dow Jones International News 24 Sept. 2007) and "enduring hostility" towards supporters of Duvalier (The Guardian 26 Sep. 2007). The Associated Press (AP) indicates that it is unlikely Duvalier could be voted into power because "hatred of the former regime runs so deep in Haiti" (AP 21 Apr. 2007).

Media sources report that Haitian President René Préval has stated that if Jean-Claude Duvalier returned to Haiti he would "face justice" for abuses committed during his regime (AP 28 Sept. 2007; Latinnews Daily 2 Oct. 2007). Préval also plans to create a museum on a site where political prisoners were tortured by Duvalier's "henchmen" as a reminder of "that era's horrors" (The New York Times 23 Mar. 2008).

Public critics of Duvalier include former soccer star and human rights advocate Bobby Duval (The Guardian 26 Sept. 2007) and Patrick Elie, a former minister in the Aristide government and head of a commission for the Préval government (The New York Times 23 Mar. 2008).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Associated Press (AP). 28 September 2007. Alexandra Olson. "Haiti's President Says Ex-Dictator Must Face Justice if He Returns from Exile." (Factiva)
_____. 21 April 2007. Stevenson Jacobs. "In Haiti, Loyalists Long for Dictator's Return." (Factiva)

Dow Jones International News. 24 September 2007. "'Baby Doc' Duvalier Apologizes to Haitians for 'Wrongs'." (Factiva)

The Guardian [London]. 26 September 2007. Rory Carroll. "Penniless in Exile, Baby Doc Asks Haiti to Forgive Him." <http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2007/sep/26/international. mainsection/print> [Accessed 19 Jan. 2009]

Haiti. July 2005. Conseil électoral provisoire. "Liste des partis politiques enregistrés et reconnus." <www.cep-ht.org/ListdesPartis.pdf> [Accessed 16 Jan. 2009]

Latinnews. N.d. "About Us." <http://www.latinnews.com/default.asp?mode=about> [Accessed 21 Jan. 2009]

Haiti-Référence. 2 November 2008. "Profil de François Duvalier." <http://www.haiti-reference.com/histoire/notables/duvalier-fr.html> [Accessed 5 Feb. 2009]

Latinnews. N.d. "About Us." <http://www.latinnews.com/default.asp?mode=about> [Accessed 21 Jan. 2009]

Latinnews Daily [London]. 2 October 2007. "Baby Doc Could Face Justice in Haiti." (Factiva)
_____. 16 September 2005. "Haiti: Baby Doc Eyes Comeback." (Factiva)

Los Angeles Times. 2 September 2007. Carol J. Williams. "Former Haitian Leaders Beginning to Stir; a Deposed Dictator and an Exiled President Are Finding Wistful Backers. And Others Can't Be Counted Out." (Factiva)

The New York Times. 23 March 2008. Marc Lacey. "Haiti's Poverty Stirs Nostalgia for Old Ghosts." <http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/23/world/americas/23haiti.html?ex=1364011200&en=77890c96efac06e9&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod= permalink> [Accessed 19 Jan. 2008]

Political Handbook of the World 2007 (PHW 2007). 2007. "Haiti." Edited by Arthur Banks, Thomas Muller and William Overstreet. Washington, DC: CQ Press.

Additional Sources Consulted

Internet sites, including: Amnesty International (AI), Gallup, International Crisis Group, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) RefWorld, Radio Kiskeya

Topics: Persecution based on political opinion,