Haiti to probe Duvalier abuses: Amnesty

Amnesty handed over to Haitian prosecutors more than 100 documents and files relating to abuses.

Port-Au-Prince: Haiti will probe crimes
against humanity committed during the 15-year rule of ousted
strongman Jean-Claude Duvalier, who recently returned from
exile, Amnesty International said Friday.

"We welcome with satisfaction the beginning of
investigations on crimes against humanity," Gerardo Ducos,
Haiti researcher for the London-based rights group, told a
press conference in Haiti.

"It`s an important moment for fighting impunity."

Amnesty handed over to Haitian prosecutors yesterday more
than 100 documents and files relating to abuses and
violations, which had been published by the group from 1976 to
1986, he said.

Amnesty highlighted cases of torture, enforced
disappearances and extrajudicial crimes committed during the
15-year rule of the ousted dictator, known as "Baby Doc"
Duvalier.

"Victims have a right to reparations, not only financial
reparation but also the revival of collective memory," Ducos
added. "Bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to justice
is one of the state`s obligations."

Ducos also warned: "Impunity breeds a climate where human
rights abuses carry on. We have to break this cycle of
impunity."

Duvalier, ousted in a popular uprising that ended his
1971-1986 rule, shocked many Haitians by returning to his
homeland last weekend after a quarter-century in exile.

PTI

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