Prosecute Haiti's Duvalier | Violence in Tunisia

Prosecute Haiti's Duvalier
Thousands Killed and Tortured Under Duvalier and His Tonton Macoutes
Haiti’s former dictator Jean‑Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier should be arrested and prosecuted for grave human rights violations, in addition to the corruption charges that are already being considered by local authorities.
On Sunday, Duvalier made a surprise return to Haiti from France, where he has lived in exile since 1986.
Under Duvalier and his Tonton Macoutes, a paramilitary group, thousands of Haitians were killed and tortured, and hundreds of thousands more fled into exile. Action to hold him accountable is long overdue.
Jean-Claude Duvalier took power in Haiti in 1971, following the death of his father, François "Papa Doc" Duvalier. Torture and murder were commonplace under both father and son.
Both Duvaliers stunted civil society with harsh repression of any signs of independence by political parties, trade unions, and the press.
The corruption inquiry is a good first step. But Duvalier needs to be held accountable for his most atrocious crimes – the death and torture of thousands of Haitians.


Tunisia: Free Nonviolent Prisoners

Interim Government Should Investigate Protester Deaths, Police Abuse
After last week’s ouster of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, Tunisia’s government remains in flux. To reassure Tunisians that real change is coming after decades of authoritarian rule, the interim government should stop using unjustifiable force against protesters, hold officers who unlawfully killed demonstrators accountable, and free those imprisoned for nonviolent speech or politics.
More than 100 people have died since anti-government protests began in mid-December. Many were killed by police firing into crowds, said a statement by Navi Pillay, UN high commissioner for human rights. Police have beaten and arrested scores of demonstrators. Although many have been released, the whereabouts of some remain unknown.
If the interim government fails to move quickly to investigate these incidents and to hold perpetrators accountable, the international community should initiate its own inquiry.
Since Ben Ali seized power in 1987, Tunisian authorities have tolerated little dissent. Human Rights Watch has documented how plainclothes police often subjected activists, independent journalists, and those who spoke out against the government to arrest, beatings, harassment, surveillance, and sometimes torture.
The interim government can signal its willingness to embrace the changes Tunisia’s citizens are demanding by ending the bloody repression and allowing citizens to exercise their rights.