"Haitian authorities to question "Baby Doc" Duvalier" - Reuters

[Cerridwen]

(Reuters) - Haitian authorities will question former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier to determine whether he should be prosecuted for stealing from the treasury during his rule, a senior government official said on Tuesday.

"He will be questioned and he will remain at the disposal of the judicial system," the official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.

(Reporting by Joseph Guyler Delva; Editing by Pascal Fletcher) link

That's all so far from Reuters.

Miami Herald says:

PORT-AU-PRINCE -- Heavily armed Haitian police officers, a judge and a chief prosecutor arrived at the hotel in Port-au-Prince, where former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc'' Duvalier remained holed up Tuesday, as rumors of his arrest boiled.

Judge Gabriel Ambroise would not say if he had an arrest warrant, as officers continued to flood the hotel about 10:15 a.m.

Haitian police officers said they were asked to secure the Karibe hotel, but did not confirm if there was an arrest warrant for Duvalier.

About 10:40 a.m., Haitian attorney Reynold Georges arrived at the hotel, and said Gervais Charles is expected to represent Duvalier.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/17/v-fullstory/2020822/duvaliers-mysterious-haiti-trip.html#ixzz1BP7dmDIV

Miami Herald's article has a date stamp of yesterday and is reporting rumors

[Catherina]

1. And they'll find him as pure as the driven slush. Acquitted of all *false* charges.

I'm enraged.

[Cerridwen]

4. Not to be argumentative, I hope you're wrong.

I, however, fear you may be correct. Another option is he is tried on "lesser" charges and gets a slap on the wrist.

:(

[Catherina]

56. I hope I'm dead wrong!

Who were we to intervene and whisk him safely out of the country in a US plane? I wish the angry people had been able to tear him and his thieving, cadaver-selling wife, from limb to limb.

[Solly Mack]

2. K&R

Thanks, Cerridwen!

[Cerridwen]

5. Morning, Solly.

You're welcome.

I had more updates in a couple of those other threads last night in case you wanted to read through them. Oh, I should make sure they're in my journal. Oops. :)

[Solly Mack]

6. I've been reading that thread to look for updates.

Been reading other articles too.

My hubby and I have been reading past articles as well. We're both trying to get as much information as possible as this unfolds.

[Cerridwen]

7. A lot of the reporting died down last night.

Thank heavens. I needed some sleep. lol

If you find anything to add, please do.

I'm just trying to create a space to hold the collection of information and reports.

[Cerridwen]

3. Wall Street Journal also reporting something...but it's behind a pay

to read platform. I'm not paying.

If you have a subscription and would care to do so, please bring a snippet, remember 4 paragraph limit, to this thread. Thanks.

[Cerridwen]

8. Previous threads from LBN and GD

from Hissyspit
'Baby Doc' Duvalier Back in Haiti After Long Exile

from Joanne98
Fla. Haitians protest Duvalier's return to Haiti

from Monsoon
Ex-Haiti dictator holes up in luxury hotel

from yours truly
'Baby Doc' Duvalier Back in Haiti

Duvalier Meets With Advisers as Haiti Holds Its Breath

"Baby Doc returned to a hero's welcome" from NPR

[Cerridwen]

9. MSNBC has a bit more

The officials would not tell journalists the purpose of the meeting at the high-end hotel where the former leader has been staying since his surprise return to the country. Haiti's chief prosecutor was also at the meeting in the Hotel Karibe.

Groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have urged Haiti to hold Duvalier accountable for the crimes committed by his secret police, known as the Tonton Macoute, who tortured and murdered political opponents

<snip>

'Much easier' to bring charges

The United Nations' human rights office said Tuesday that his return increased the chances that Duvalier would be charged with atrocities committed during his 15-year rule.

"The country where the crimes were committed is a much easier place to bring charges," Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, told The Associated Press.

link

[Cerridwen]

10. Miami Herald says he's been arrested

PORT-AU-PRINCE -- Heavily armed Haitian police officers, a judge, attorneys and a chief prosecutor arrived at the hotel in Port-au-Prince, where former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc'' Duvalier remained holed up Tuesday.

A source said about 11:20 a.m. that Duvalier had been arrested at the posh Karibe Hotel in Petionville.
Haitian attorney Gervais Charles, who had represented Duvalier in the past, called the arrest "a scandal."

Judge Gabriel Ambroise and Haitian attorney Reynold Georges arrived at the hotel about 10:30 a.m., as Haitian police officers were asked to secure the premises, and a helicopter could be heard loudly overhead.


Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/01/17/2020822/duvaliers-mysterious-haiti-trip.html#ixzz1BPJnrhwr

Waiting for additional confirmation.

[Cerridwen]

11. CNN says "Speculation mounts..."

Speculation of Duvalier's arrest mounts as police enter hotel

Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- Police, a judge and a prosecutor entered the posh Port-au-Prince hotel Tuesday where former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier has been holed up since his surprise return home.

It's still unclear why Duvalier returned from some 25 years in exile in France, but speculation mounted Tuesday that he may be arrested.

About 20 police went into the Karibe Hotel in the Petionville suburb Tuesday morning. Journalists were barred from entering.

At least one person said she is seeking criminal charges against the former ruler and human rights groups have sounded a call for justice.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/01/18/haiti.duvalier/index.html

[Cerridwen]

12. AFP - "poised to be arrested" and/or "will be arrested"

Here we go:

Haiti poised to arrest "Baby Doc" Duvalier

By Clarens Renois (AFP) – 1 hour ago

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haitian officials were poised Tuesday to arrest former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, more than two decades after he was ousted by a popular uprising against his repressive rule.

"He will be arrested," a judicial official told AFP as the nation's chief prosecutor Aristidas Auguste, a justice of the peace, Gabriel Ambroise, and a squad of special police entered the luxury Hotel Karibe.
Duvalier has been holed up in the hotel since his sudden, mysterious return late Sunday to the country he fled in disgrace in 1986.

As a police truck pulled up outside the hotel, officials said Duvalier was being questioned, as a team of his lawyers was also seen arriving by AFP correspondents.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ienAuAyZRusHvRkSShRzDPy-mWaA?docId=CNG.bcacce5d757f65ee2ea85771101c036f.7e1

---------------

Duvalier to be arrested, says Haitian official

Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier will be arrested, a judicial official told AFP today, as the nation’s chief prosecutor and a judge arrived at his hotel.

“He will be arrested,” the official said, as the prosecutor Aristidas Auguste, a justice of the peace, Gabriel Ambroise, and a squad of special police entered the luxury Hotel Karibe.

A close aide told AFP: “We’re getting lawyers, putting together a legal response,” Eric Jean-Jacques, a close friend of the ousted president, said, alleging police had attempted to arrest the ousted leader early today. Later today, AFP saw a group of policeman walking up to Duvalier’s room in the luxury Hotel Karibe where he has been holed up since his return.

But there was no immediate official confirmation of the move and it remained unclear what was happening.

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/world/Duvalier%20to%20be%20arrested,%20says%20Haitian%20official/-/1068/1091918/-/13qugt4/-/

[steve2470]

13. better link here:

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/world/Duvalier%20to%20be%20arrested,%20says%20Haitian%20official/-/1068/1091918/-/13qugt4/-/index.html

[Cerridwen]

15. Thank you. n/t

[Cerridwen]

14. CNN - Arrest status unclear, police escort from hotel

Police escort ex-Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier from Port-au-Prince hotel; arrest status unclear.

That's all at the top of the page.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/01/18/haiti.duvalier/index.html

[sabrina 1]

16. Shouldn't they also be questioning him about torture

and other crimes against the people of Haiti? I'm glad they are questioning about the money, that is important but he did a lot more than just steal from the people.

I hope this isn't a ploy to find him 'innocent' or that the U.S. doesn't try to protect him as they protected Bush war criminals.

[Cerridwen]

17. Too much is unknown right now to know what is happening.

Still not clear if he's been arrested: I'm watching for confirmation.

Hell, they got Capone on taxes. Sometimes we have to take what we can get. :(

[Cerridwen]

18. Houston Chronicle - still not clear on arrest status

He's being escorted out but that seems to be the only confirmation so far.

-------------

Haitian police take ex-dictator from his hotel

By JONATHAN M. KATZ Associated Press © 2011 The Associated Press
Jan. 18, 2011, 11:16AM

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haitian police have taken ex-dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier out of his hotel. The former dictator known as "Baby Doc" was led through the hotel by a contingent of police.

Duvalier did not say anything as he was out the back of the hotel. Asked by journalists if he was being arrested, his longtime companion Veronique Roy, laughed but said nothing.

Duvalier was forced into exile in 1986 in a mass uprising and had been living in exile in France. He made a surprise return home on Sunday.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Haitian police have taken ex-dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier out of his hotel. The former dictator known as "Baby Doc" was led through the hotel by a contingent of police. He did not say anything as he was out the back of the hotel. Asked by journalists if he was being arrested, his longtime companion Veronique Roy, laughed but said nothing.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/top/all/7386319.html

[Cerridwen]

19. CNN - "taken into custody"

At top of page:

Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier taken into custody by police at Port-au-Prince hotel.

That is all reported at link: http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/01/18/haiti.duvalier/index.html

[Cerridwen]

20. Al Jazeeara's Sebastian Walker - Haiti police probe former leader

After questioning him for hours, police escort former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier from his hotel.

<snip>

Haitian authorities are questioning Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, Haitian former exiled president, to determine whether he should be prosecuted for alleged abuses and theft from the treasury during his rule.

<snip>

Al Jazeeara's Sebastian Walker, reporting from Port-Au-Prince, said that Duvalier was escorted out of the hotel where he has been staying, surrounded by police.

Duvalier, said Walker, was not handcuffed and that he has not been arrested, but that he's been taken away for questioning to an unknown location.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2011/01/2011118161223307617.html

[Cerridwen]

21. The Guardian - 'Baby Doc' Duvalier held by Haiti police

Haitian police have escorted former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier from the hotel in Port-au-Prince where has been staying since his surprise return from exile on Sunday.

A senior government official told Reuters Duvalier, 59, would be questioned by judicial authorities to determine whether he should be prosecuted for stealing from the treasury during his rule.

A contingent of police led the former dictator through the hotel and to a waiting SUV, Associated Press reported.

Duvalier was calm and did not say anything. Asked by journalists if he was being arrested, his longtime companion Veronique Roy, laughed but said nothing.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jan/18/baby-doc-duvalier-haiti-police

[Cerridwen]

22. AFP - being taken to prosecutors office to "notify of file against him"

Police take Duvalier from Haiti hotel

(AFP) – 2 hours ago

PORT-AU-PRINCE —

He was then escorted by police down through the hotel lobby, but was not handcuffed.

The head of the Port-au-Prince bar association, Gervais Charles, told AFP:
"He is being taken to the prosecutors' office to notify him of the file against him."

Outside the hotel, a group of Duvalier supporters called for him to be released and the current President Rene Preval to be detained instead.

"The revolution is beginning, arrest Preval," they chanted.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5ienAuAyZRusHvRkSShRzDPy-mWaA?docId=CNG.bcacce5d757f65ee2ea85771101c036f.7e1

emphasis added and oh, shit

[Cerridwen]

23. NYTimes adds pertinent details

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/19/world/americas/19haiti.html?_r=1&src=twrhp

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Haitian police officers on Tuesday took away Jean-Claude Duvalier, the former dictator who abruptly returned to this country nearly 25 years after being forced from power, leading him out of the high-end hotel where he has been huddled since his arrival.

Surrounded by heavily armed police officers, Mr. Duvalier emerged from his room at noon in a blue pin-striped suit and walked down three flights of stairs, never letting go of his girlfriend’s hand as he waved to as supporters chanting his name and calling him “president.”

“We are with you,” some supporters shouted as police officers led Mr. Duvalier out of the back of the hotel. With United Nations peacekeepers standing by, police officers put him and several of his associates into a waiting vehicle and drove off. Small clusters of his supporters outside the hotel cried “revolution.” Hunks of concrete were thrown into the convoy’s path.

-------------

Yeah, I snarked at the suit. Sue me.

[suffragette]

24. Henry Robert Sterlin says he's acting as Duvalier's spokesman

http://www.france24.com/en/20110118-haiti-former-strongman-baby-doc-duvalier-escorted-away-police-questioned
Henry Robert Sterlin, a former ambassador under Duvalier who has said in recent days that he was speaking as a spokesman for the former dictator, told reporters at the scene he was shocked by the developments. “Let’s see if they put him in prison,” he said.


Gives us another name to search on for updates.

[suffragette]

25. "Haiti likely to recover Duvalier's Swiss millions: lawyer"

Hmm, I wonder if the timing of this is a factor somehow.

http://www.expatica.com/ch/news/swiss-news/haiti-likely-to-recover-duvalier-s-swiss-millions-lawyer_124002.html
Haiti likely to recover Duvalier's Swiss millions: lawyer

18/01/2011
A 25-year legal battle over Haitian ex-dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier's Swiss millions should come to an end once new legislation kicks in on February 1, a lawyer for Haiti's government said Tuesday.

The Duvaliers have been fighting to hold on to some 5.7 million dollars of allegedly embezzled funds held by an opaque Liechtenstein-based foundation in Switzerland ever since Swiss authorities froze them after Duvalier was ousted.

But new legislation was rushed through parliament last year to ease the restitution of assets stolen by corrupt or greedy politicians to the concerned countries, partly as a result of the Duvalier saga.

"The Lex Duvalier will be applicable next month and I don't see any reason why it shouldn't be applied whether Mr Duvalier is or isn't in Haiti," the lawyer, Enrico Monfrini, told AFP.

[Cerridwen]

26. Thank you! for bringing more articles and information.

:hi:

[suffragette]

31. Thank you for creating these threads and compiling links

to the other threads.

Very disturbing that Duvalier feels confident enough to return to Haiti. The big question is why?

[Cerridwen]

33. I hope we find out why and I hope it's not a horrific reason.

his "supporters" are already calling for revolution.

I'm just hoping for the best for the Haitian people. They don't need this crap right now. Perhaps his presence will inadvertently bring attention to the aid dollars not getting to the people or being used to help the people rather than line some pockets.

Oh well, I hope; for whatever that's worth.

[suffragette]

38. I share that hope

:hi:



Just found scathing editorial in Guardian UK though that raises flags in regard to election and OAS. Much more there - hard to pick out just a few paragraphs:

Haiti's democracy in the balance
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/jan/18/haiti-usa

The return to Haiti – and now, possible arrest – of the infamous former dictator, Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, after 25 years in exile in the south of France, has made the headlines this week. But behind the scenes, the US state department and the French foreign ministry have been ratcheting up the pressure on the impoverished, earthquake-wrecked and cholera-stricken country of Haiti. The pressure is not to prosecute the dictator for his atrocities, as human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have recommended. The pressure is to force the government of Haiti to accept the decision of the United States and France as to who should be allowed to compete in the second round of Haiti's presidential election.

~~~

So far, Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) hasn't caved. But the pressure and threats are very intense. Some of it appears to come from hard-right Republicans, whose influence on foreign policy in the western hemisphere has remained strong under the Obama administration and has increased with their takeover of the House of Representatives. Rightwing activists such as Roger Noriega, who was involved in the 2004 Haitian coup as President Bush's assistant secretary of state for western hemisphere affairs, are among those fighting to control the runoff election in Haiti.

~~~

Of course, the obvious solution would be to re-run the election, since nearly three-quarters of registered voters didn't vote in the first round, reflecting the fact that the country's largest political party – not coincidentally, the party of Aristide – was arbitrarily excluded. But Washington and its allies don't want to take any chances that they could end up with a free and fair election in Haiti, which hasn't led to their preferred outcome in the very few times that it has been allowed.

[EFerrari]

29. I wonder if that's the Duvalier Foundation.

Set up in 2006, the press said it was to rehabilitate the name. But I couldn't find it any where.

/oops

[suffragette]

35. Good catch - search for "Brouilly Foundation"

On a quick search, found that name for the operation set up by Duvalier's family:

http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/bribe/2009/05/haiti-the-long-road-to-recovery.html

The efforts to return the money to Haiti started in 1986, shortly after Duvalier -- the notorious self-proclaimed "president for life" -- fled the country. The new Haitian government asked Switzerland for mutual legal assistance to track down any money Duvalier had stolen from public funds and hidden in Switzerland. It took several months, but they located $6.5 million in a suspicious Swiss bank account of the Liechtenstein-based Brouilly foundation, set up by Duvalier's mother through a Panamanian company.

It was difficult to establish that the money didn't rightfully belong to the Duvaliers but was instead pilfered from the state's budget or obtained by taking bribes. "The illicit origin of such funds is often difficult to prove," says Valentin Zellweger, Deputy Director of the Directorate of International Law in the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs. Corrupt leaders have been known to go to extensive lengths to obscure the money trail, often using middlemen and front companies in different countries. Electronic transfers can also move money with lightening speed from one country to another before law enforcement has a chance to freeze the assets.
Corrupt leaders have been known to go to extensive lengths to obscure the money trail, often using middlemen and front companies in different countries.

If the country of origin does not cooperate and does not provide bank records, financial documents and witness statements, determining which funds are illegitimate can become almost impossible. "In many countries, there are supporters of the old government who don't want the whole story to come out," says Randi Ryterman, senior manager at the World Bank.

Here's another article written when the freeze was not yet in place:

http://www.wehaitians.com/government%20extends%20freeze%20on%20bady%20doc%20funds.html
Geneva account

Wednesday's decision in Geneva only affected one account, with the Geneva branch of UBS, held in the name of the "Brouilly Foundation" in the principality of Liechtenstein, Henzelin said earlier this week. The Brouilly Foundation is owned by a Panama:based company, which in turn is owned by members of the Duvalier family.

The amount of money in this account is not known.

Duvalier had at least two further accounts in Lausanne and Zurich, though the latter could have been closed, added Henzelin.

Timeline here:
http://www.assetrecovery.org/kc/node/558ce875-a33e-11dc-bf1b-335d0754ba85.6


I'll have to read this more thoroughly tonight.

[EFerrari]

37. Thanks, suffragette!

:hi:

[suffragette]

40. Francois Duvalier Foundation

This might be the one you were thinking of - from 2007:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/23/AR2007042300203.html
The younger Duvalier was named "president for life" at age 19 following his father's death in 1971. An estimated 60,000 people were killed during the 29-year father-and-son dictatorship, while many others were maimed by the dictatorship or forced into exile. If Duvalier returns, many Haitians believe he would be arrested and charged with murder and misappropriation of $120 million in public funds _ allegations he has denied.

His supporters founded the Francois Duvalier Foundation late last year to promote positive aspects of the dictatorship, including the creation of most of Haiti's state institutions and increased access to education for the country's black majority. Loyalists also offer pro-Duvalier lectures for youths and want to start a Duvalier-themed library and Web site.

Duvalier's National Unity Party was recently reconstituted and plans to enter candidates in December's Senate race. That would mark the party's first participation in a national election since Duvalier was toppled 21 years ago.

[EFerrari]

41. That is the mention I found

but there doesn't seem to be a web site which makes me think, it's not really open for inspection?

[suffragette]

46. Good point

No website I can find. Most articles refer to it in connection with there being supporters of his who created this and include a pic of him from the office of this foundation, which the articles state is located in Port au Prince.

[Cerridwen]

27. Chief Prosecutor, "He's not free, he's going to my office"

"Mr. Duvalier is under the control of the judicial system. He's not free, he's going to my office," Chief Prosecutor Aristidas Auguste told Reuters.

Duvalier, who fled Haiti in 1986 to escape a popular uprising, returned unexpectedly to a country gripped by political uncertainty after inconclusive Nov. 28 elections and still struggling to recover from a devastating earthquake that struck a year ago.

As Duvalier was led downstairs from his hotel room, accompanied by his wife, he waved at journalists and some supporters gathered outside the hotel.

Duvalier supporters shouting "Free Duvalier! Free Duvalier!" chased the police vehicle taking him away, and some tried to block its path with burning tires but the convoy evaded them.



Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Haitian+authorities+detain+Baby+Duvalier/4126095/story.html#ixzz1BPfWzk4V

[Cerridwen]

28. Prominent lawyer - 'baby doc' called requesting legal advice

HAITI
1. Baby Doc leaves hotel under police escort

Haitian PM says government is “not comfortable” with Duvalier’s presence in capital


Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier left his hotel in the Haitian capital under police escort on Tuesday, barely 24 hours after he returned to the country he once ruled with an iron fist after years in exile in Paris. It’s not yet clear what the future holds for Duvalier, who met earlier with police officials and a judge at the Hotel Karibe. Haiti’s chief prosecutor was also said to be on site. According to prominent local lawyer Reynold Georges, Duvalier had called him prior to leaving the hotel requesting legal advice. In an interview with a local newspaper, Haitian Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive said on Monday that were “ongoing judicial processes involving the Haitian state and Mr. Duvalier over money” and that his government was “not comfortable” with the former tyrant’s latest visit.

La Presse

http://www2.macleans.ca/category/need-to-know/?current=167487#post167487

[Cerridwen]

30. Syndey Morning Herald: "armored vehicles bristling with swat police."

<snip>

After intense questioning lasting well over an hour by the nation's chief prosecutor and a judge, Duvalier was escorted by police out of the luxury hotel where he had been holed up since he returned late Sunday.

<snip>

One protester, Gerant Jones, 30, told AFP: "Young people know there was a dictatorship but he did a lot for Haiti... It's different today. He has to stay. Haiti needs him."

Although he was not handcuffed, Duvalier was led away in a convoy of armored vehicles bristling with swat police.

It was not clear what charges would be laid against Duvalier, who fled the country on a US Air Force plane in 1986 after a popular uprising, having allegedly siphoned away millions of US dollars from the impoverished Caribbean country.

<snip>

some "new" pieces of information at link: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-world/haiti-police-take-duvalier-to-court-20110119-19vii.html

[Cerridwen]

32. Watching the spin. Same quotes, different reports and headlines.

Voice of America says:

UN: Haiti Needs 'Evidence' to Prosecute Ex-Dictator Duvalier

The United Nations human rights office said earlier Tuesday that it is not clear yet whether Haiti is in a position to arrest and charge Mr. Duvalier with atrocities committed during his 15-year rule.

A spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said Tuesday that evidence is needed to mount a case against Mr. Duvalier.

http://www.voanews.com/english/news/UN-Haiti-Needs-Evidence-to-Prosecute-Ex-Dictator-Duvalier-114137144.html

---------------

Winnipeg Free Press says:

Haiti ex-dictator Duvalier could be prosecuted after return to Haiti: UN

<snip>

"I believe there have been various cases brought over the years in France," Colville earlier told reporters in Geneva. "We're checking ... exactly what happened over the many years he's been resident in France and why he wasn't arrested."

Colville cautioned that it is unclear whether Haiti's fragile judicial system is in a position to mount a case.

"As with any arrest and charging you have to have assembled some evidence in an organized fashion to bring a case," he said. "It means having a case prepared sufficiently to warrant an arrest, and then the rest of the judicial procedure."

Meanwhile, Switzerland is poised to permanently seize 7 million Swiss francs ($7.3 million) of Duvalier's money. The funds have been frozen on Swiss bank accounts for years, but a new law — nicknamed "Lex Duvalier" because it was tailored to his case — comes into force Feb. 1.

The Swiss government says it plans to give the money back to Haiti to improve living conditions in the impoverished Caribbean country.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/breakingnews/un-rights-office-says-haiti-ex-dictator-could-be-prosecuted-after-return-114109974.html

[Cerridwen]

34. WaPo - Day late and a dollar short "WH cautious on Duvalier's return to Haiti"

WASHINGTON -- The White House is weighing in carefully on ex-dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier's return to Haiti. An administration spokesman says any current or former political leaders there should be focused not on themselves, but on ending Haiti's political crisis.

White House spokesman Robert Gibbs didn't mention Duvalier by name Tuesday, choosing instead to speak broadly about the situation in the impoverished nation. He says leaders there should put their energies into resolving November's problematic presidential election and rebuilding following last year's devastating earthquake.

Duvalier, the once feared and reviled dictator who was ousted in a popular uprising nearly 25 years ago, made a surprise return to Haiti Sunday. Police took him out of his hotel Tuesday without saying whether he was being detained for crimes committed under his brutal regime.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/18/AR2011011803048.html

Well, at least they noticed he was back and that he's being detained.

[Cerridwen]

36. Time does hit piece on Haiti masked as concern 'baby doc' is back.

I won't quote them here. They're a neo-con wet dream of a rag.

Here's the link if you want to see what neo-con "concern" looks like:

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2042762,00.html

[Cerridwen]

39. More DU links

Baby Doc arrested in Haiti

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=222894&mesg_id=222894


Speculation of Duvalier's arrest mounts as police enter hotel

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4701078

[Cerridwen]

42. AP - "not sure what, if any, charges filed against him"

The courthouse was thronged with spectators and journalists trying to get in to view the proceedings. It was not immediately clear whether the session would be open to the public — or what, if any, charges had been filed against him.

His removal from the hotel came after he met in private with senior Haitian judicial officials met inside his hotel room amid calls by human rights groups and other for his arrest.

'Much easier' to bring charges
The United Nations' human rights office said Tuesday that his return increased the chances that Duvalier would be charged with atrocities committed during his 15-year rule.

"The country where the crimes were committed is a much easier place to bring charges," Rupert Colville, a spokesman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, told The Associated Press.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41135181/ns/world_news-haiti_earthquake/

[Cerridwen]

43. A little comedy relief from The Onion - link only -

won't copy and paste well.

http://www.theonion.com/articles/baby-doc-returns-to-haiti,18866/

[Brother Buzz]

47. "That's terrific news! ....

Haiti sure could use all the doctors it can get right now."

[Cerridwen]

49. :)

It'd be funnier if I didn't have a suspicion that there are a few out there who think something similar.

:(

Oh well, gallows humor is needed, too. :)

[Cerridwen]

44. LA Times: "Haitian authorities said he...could be released before the end of the day."

Reporting from Port-au-Prince, Haiti — Haitian authorities took deposed dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier to a courthouse for questioning Tuesday amid calls that he be charged with crimes against humanity.

Police led the 59-year-old Duvalier from the luxury hotel room where he had stayed since his surprise return Sunday after 25 years of exile, past the pool, through the kitchen and out the back to a waiting dark-blue Nissan patrol sport-utility vehicle. He waved to waiters, hotel staff and hordes of reporters. He moved unsteadily and received helped.

A police convoy escorted Duvalier and his entourage to a courthouse. Small groups of supporters chanted his name, jumped up and down and demanded he be freed.

<snip>

Haitian authorities said he would be questioned and could be released before the end of the day. It was not clear what, if any, charges the Haitian judiciary would be contemplating. Under international law, however, Duvalier could face indictment for the alleged murder and torture of thousands of opponents, human-rights activists say.


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-0119-haiti-duvalier-20110119,0,1209437.story

[Cerridwen]

45. Reuters: "Duvalier's fate up to Haitian government, U.S. says"

"Having a former dictator return to Haiti just adds to Haiti's ongoing burden," U.S. State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley told reporters when asked about Duvalier's return and his subsequent detention by Haitian police.

Armed police escorted Duvalier, 59, from the luxury hotel in Port-au-Prince where he had been staying since his surprise return on Sunday to his poor, earthquake-battered Caribbean homeland after 25 years in exile in France. Officers put him in a police SUV with tinted windows which drove away.

The former ruler, who is accused by human rights groups of being responsible for the killing and torture of opponents during his 15 years in power, was being taken to the office of the Port-au-Prince chief prosecutor, officials said.

"What happens at this point forward is a matter for the people of Haiti ... This is their concern, not ours," Crowley added. Asked if he feared action against Duvalier could further inflame the situation, Crowley replied: "Of course. The fact that he arrives in the middle of a very difficult and delicate situation ... this is one more complication in an already challenging situation."

A little more at link: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN1815875420110118

[Cerridwen]

48. HaitiLibre: "He just arrived to the prosecutor."

Haiti - FLASH DUVALIER : Duvalier led to the prosecutor's office of Port-au-Prince
18/01/2011 13:17:24

The former Haitian dictator Jean Claude Duvalier, without handcuffs and smiling, left on Tuesday, the Karibe Hotel with his lawyers, under police escorts, the journalists noted. It should be led to the prosecutor's office of Port-au-Prince for a communication to the file, according to the remarks of Gervais Charles, dean of the Bar of Port-au-Prince. Recall that this kind of common intervention is not an arrest.

Journalists have asked his wife, Veronique Roy if he had been arrested. She just laughed and said nothing.

A confusion has followed about whether the former dictator, had boarded or not in the police van parked outside the building. Witnesses said he exited through the back door of the hotel and boarded in a blue Nissan Patrol which was followed by a police car.

Last minutes : A demonstration, Pro-Duvalier is blocking the road of Canape Vert. He just arrived to the prosecutor.

HL/ HaitiLibre

No more info at link: http://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-2147-haiti-flash-duvalier-duvalier-led-to-the-prosecutor-s-office-of-port-au-prince.html

edit: I had intended to emphasize about the demonstration. Added emphasis.

[Cerridwen]

50. Gallows humor fail?

I copy and paste; you decide.

FACT: Despite his name, you do NOT want to use Baby Doc as your OB-GYN. We found that one out the hard way.

[Cerridwen]

51. CNN: "source close to Duvalier...[he] could be back in his hotel room by afternoon's end"

Sorry to be such a downer. The arrest is not yet confirmed; charges have not yet been announced; I'm not even sure the hearing has started. I'll try to keep watching and updating; even if it's not very exciting. :( I may have to leave at some point. I'll holler for someone before then and turn over the copy and paste duties. :D

---------------

But a source close to Duvalier told CNN that he did not expect Duvalier to be charged with any crimes or face arrest. He said the former dictator could be back in his hotel room by afternoon's end.

A flurry of intense legal activity preceded Duvalier's emergence from the Karibe Hotel, where he had been since his mysterious return to Haiti on Sunday.

His hands free of handcuffs, he made his way down three flights of stairs and waved to a small crowd of supporters before heavily armed police escorted him away in a waiting white van.

Outside the hotel in the swanky suburb of Petionville, throngs of journalists had waited for Duvalier's appearance amid speculation that the former despot would be arrested.

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/01/18/haiti.duvalier/index.html?hpt=T2

Here's hoping "source" is blowing smoke.

[Cerridwen]

52. Another DU link in LBN

Duvalier taken into custody

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4701244

[Cerridwen]

53. Journalists just let into the courthouse.

Reporter via Twitter.

For what it's worth.

Waiting for confirmation and/or more updates.

[Cerridwen]

54. Reports from the courthouse

Watch "real time" at http://twitter.com/MacMcClelland

I knew they were going to pull some shit like that. I am a Duvalier-decoy psychic.
1 minute ago via tweetymail

Now they're saying he's going to come out this other door. Ha! And then another one!
4 minutes ago via tweetymail

Amazing! They just let all the journalists run into the courthouse, and then were like, you can't see him.
8 minutes ago via tweetymail

What do you wanna bet the car waiting here is a decoy again, and they bounce him out an alternate entrance?
20 minutes ago via tweetymail

So, we're all waiting for Baby Doc to come out the courthouse door he went in.

[Catherina]

57. Thank you for all these updates. I was away all day and

am grateful so I can catch up. Thanks C.

[Cerridwen]

58. You're welcome.

Thanks for the input you've given.

Oh yeah, and thank you for introducing me to a new artist. How cool is that? I get cultural enlightenment via politics.

:D

[Catherina]

59. Did you catch these two? I can't find any others with English subtitles

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=drlpkQTPr0Y

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbIpTxJ4-Iw

I'm thrilled you like her. I'm also really happy to get to know you better on the boards. Thanks for all your work :hi:

[Cerridwen]

60. Thanks. I've "caught" them now. :)

I like the English subtitles, but they're not always necessary. Sometimes the emotion comes through regardless of words. I know, that sounds weird. I can enjoy the feeling without "knowing." edit: oh yeah, and pictures help, too. lol

The feeling is mutual. I've enjoyed getting to know you, as well. :hi:

Let's meet in more positive threads next time, 'k? :D

[Catherina]

61. Done deal. But Cerridwen..., we'll always have Tunisia!

:hi:

[Cerridwen]

62. .

:rofl:

:rofl:

:rofl:

and still

:rofl:

[Cerridwen]

55. Journalist quote "of the day"

Haiti journalist quote of the day: "That guy has a flak jacket. I wish I had a flak jacket. I'm not even wearing a bra."
about 2 hours ago via tweetymail