President of Haiti: "Justice must run its course" in the Duvalier case

The President of Haiti, Michel Martelly, called yesterday for leaving work at the courts in the investigation of complaints filed against the former President, Jean Claude Duvalier (who ruled from 1971 to 1986) and stressed that "justice must run its course".

El judge Carves Jean, responsible for the preliminary investigation of the complaints, recommended on Monday judged that Duvalier for misappropriation of funds, but not for crimes against humanity.

Duvalier, considered a fearsome dictator by numerous organizations for the defence of human rights, returned unexpectedly to his country on January 16, 2011, after 25 years in exile in France, where he took refuge in 1986 after the fall of his regime in a popular revolt.

Days after his return, human rights and victims ' organizations submitted close to two dozen lawsuits against him for crimes against humanity, torture, theft, diversion of capital and u000adestruction of private property, among other crimes.

The legal opinion, the judge sent to the Prosecutor's Office, gave rise to numerous criticisms, including the UN and the local organizations such as the platform of the organizations Haitian defense of human rights (POHDH), who described it as "slap" report for the Justice of Haiti.

Martelly, in a statement, said yesterday that "only" corresponds to the Haitian Justice decisions in this case and added that "respect the decisions and has no right to interfere" in files pertaining to the judiciary, "which is independent".

The note stresses the determination and the work of the Presidency for the rule of law in the country and recalls that it has requested the international community technical support to "strengthen the judicial system and sensitize judges on human rights issues".

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