Truth commission would help Haiti deal with 'Baby Doc', says UN
The creation of a truth commission would help promote reconciliation for Haitian victims who suffered during the dictatorship of Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, a UN human rights official said.
The UN's Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights, Kyung-wha Kang, said at a press conference that the panel wouldn't replace ongoing efforts to prosecute Duvalier, a former despot known as "Baby Doc," but would work alongside them.
More than 20 lawsuits have been filed in a Haitian court against Duvalier for crimes ranging from attempted murder and torture to embezzlement since he made an unexpected return to his homeland in January after 25 years in exile.
Advocacy groups say the case could break important new legal ground in Haiti, where the judiciary like other institutions is historically weak and ineffective.
Navi Pillay, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in January that he offered to assist in the prosecution, saying the alleged crimes have no statute of limitations....