UN: Duvalier's return raises impunity issues

[News_Editor]

UN: Duvalier's return raises impunity issues

2011-01-19 13:15:22 GMT+7 (ICT)

GENEVA (BNO NEWS) - The return to Haiti of former leader Jean Claude Duvalier clearly raises issues of impunity and accountability, said the United Nations Human Rights office on Tuesday.

A considerable range of human rights abuses took place in Haiti during the 15 years that Duvalier was in power, as well as other issues like corruption, said Rupert Colville, the spokesperson for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, in a news briefing in Geneva.

He added that it was not clear if Haiti was in a position to arrest and charge Duvalier.

The former president made a surprise return to Haiti on Sunday, after 25 years of exile in France and amidst a political crisis in the country.

The Secretary-General's spokesperson, Martin Nesirky, told journalists today that his return came as a total surprise to the UN mission in Haiti.

Nesirky added that it was a source of concern to see him resurfacing in the landscape, especially now, at a critical time for the stability of the country, as all energies are focused on looking for a settlement of the current electoral crisis.

Duvalier was escorted on Tuesday from his hotel in Port-au-Prince by police. The former leader, who led a brutal regime from 1971 to 1986, has been accused of corruption and robbery during his regime

Beyond the aftermath of the January 2010 deadly earthquake, Haiti is embroiled in turmoil following the first round of elections in November.

In December, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Port-au-Prince accusing the ruling government coalition of rigging the results.

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