A visibly ailing, Jean-Claude Duvalier, made his way from France back to his homeland of Haiti, only to be arrested hours after he touched down, for human rights abuses committed when he was President of the island nation.
At the age of 19, Jean-Claude succeeded his father, Francois Duvalier, as President of Haiti. He was unprepared for the role his father appointed him to, as he was not duly elected by the people and knew very little about successfully running a nation.
Jean-Claude Duvalier was ensconced in office from 1971-1986. During his bloody reign, over 60,000 Haitians were tortured and killed for opposing his rule. Duvalier and his money loving wife, Michele Bennett, looted Haiti's coffers to fund their very extravagant lifestyles.
The couple frequently took shopping trips, spending $100,000 on each outing. While they lived the high life, a segment of Haiti's population suffered in poverty and infirmity in City Soleil, which was originally named after his mother Simone Duvalier (Cite Simone).
Jean-Claude Duvalier in Haiti this week
Duvalier is being made to face the music this week and is a shell of his former self. He has the appearance of someone struggling with Parkinsons disease or Alzheimer's. It is a stark contrast to the Duvalier of 1986.
When he and his family fled Haiti for France, after a national uprising, Louis Vuitton bags lined the runway adjacent to their plane. They had pilfered millions of dollars from Haiti's treasury, only for it to be seized by world governments.
Duvalier, a former head of state, was humbled, forced to find work as a janitor in France to support himself. It was just and poetic, for all he and his family had stolen from the people of Haiti.
By this time, his wife had fled, stating she married the President of Haiti and not a pauper. During times of adversity, one learns who one's true friends are. His mother died embittered, after years of being pushed aside in favor of his wife's presence in his government, then losing their stolen possessions.
