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Former Haiti president Duvalier dies | Former Haiti president Duvalier dies |
(34 minutes later) | |
Haiti's former ruler Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier has died of a heart attack in the capital Port-au-Prince aged 63, official sources say. | |
Duvalier was just 19 when in 1971 he inherited the title of "president-for-life" from his father, the notorious Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier. | Duvalier was just 19 when in 1971 he inherited the title of "president-for-life" from his father, the notorious Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier. |
He was accused of corruption, human rights abuses and repression in his rule, which ended in a 1986 uprising. | He was accused of corruption, human rights abuses and repression in his rule, which ended in a 1986 uprising. |
After years of exile in France, he returned to Haiti in 2011. | After years of exile in France, he returned to Haiti in 2011. |
His death was announced by Haiti's health minister, and the ex-leader's attorney Reynold Georges confirmed he died at home on Saturday. | His death was announced by Haiti's health minister, and the ex-leader's attorney Reynold Georges confirmed he died at home on Saturday. |
Lavish wedding | |
At the time of his swearing in, Jean-Claude Duvalier was the youngest president in the world. | |
Initially it seemed that there could be a significant move away from his father's harsh regime, underpinned as it was by Haiti's notorious secret police, the Tontons Macoutes, says BBC world affairs correspondent Mike Wooldridge. | |
He moved closer to the Americans, from whom his father had been estranged. US businesses moved in and he allowed limited press freedom. | |
But Jean-Claude Duvalier lived lavishly. His state-sponsored wedding reportedly cost $5m in 1980, while most of the people in his ravaged nation endured the worst poverty in the Western hemisphere. | |
Repression continued, too, and amid massive unrest in 1986 he fled to France. | |
Human rights groups say thousands of political prisoners were tortured or killed under his rule, and he was accused of massive corruption. | |
He described his return to Haiti - a year after it was devastated by a major earthquake, as a gesture of solidarity to the nation. | He described his return to Haiti - a year after it was devastated by a major earthquake, as a gesture of solidarity to the nation. |
But he was arrested and charged, and although released he finally appeared in court in February 2013, where in an emotionally-charged hearing in front of some of his alleged victims, he denied responsibility for abuses carried out during his time as president. | |
Judges ruled he could face crimes against humanity charges, but the case had stalled some time before he died. | |
Jean-Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier |