In a decision that has the hand of the US written all over it, the Haitian courts have dropped all criminal charges against Jean Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier. After an anemic one-year investigation which ignored documentation of human rights crimes submitted by Amnesty International & other organizations, Haiti has decided to prosecute Duvalier only for stealing $300 million to $800 million & not for the murder, disappearance, & torture of thousands of Haitians. The Haitian kangaroo court ruled the statute of limitations blocked prosecution of Duvalier's human rights crimes when, in fact, international laws hold there is no statute of limitation or amnesty for such crimes. This travesty of justice may violate international law but it is in full accord with international practice. Witness the continued judicial cover-ups of crimes by Pinochet, Franco, a whole roster of other murderous dictators, & the US sanctuary given to a whole list of these creeps (Yemen’s Saleh being the latest). The court didn’t note that many of the current Haitian president’s allies & ministers had close ties to the Duvalier dictatorship or its close ties to the US. One thing neglected by this travesty is that the Haitian people are demanding their own accounting for Duvalier’s crimes against them. Demanding the US get the hell out of Haiti--lock, stock, & barrel--is our commitment to seeing justice for our Haitian brothers & sisters.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/haiti-dropping-jean-claude-duvalier-case-disgrace-2012-01-31
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