Repression - Haiti Observer Blog

Francois Duvalier, 40th President of Haiti, began life in Port-au-Prince. Born to a well-to-do family, he earned a medical degree from the University of Haiti. After serving as a political appointee under President Estimé, he ran for the presidency under a populist platform that won support from the Afro-Haitian electorate. He won and began his rule of tyranny, manipulating the Constitution to declare himself "President for Life".

Francois Duvalier tolerated no opposition to his repressive policies. He intimidated his enemies, routinely ordering assassinations, an estimated 30,000 of them. Many educated Haitians fled Haiti, and the island has never recovered its intelligentsia.

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The early years of independent politics in Haiti are marked by coup d'états and violence as several powerful political leaders clash for total control over the country. One of these notorious figures in this era of political turmoil is François Duvalier, more popularly known as "Papa Doc".

Francois Duvalier was Haiti's president for fourteen years from 1957 until his death in 1971. Before becoming the country's most powerful man, he was a physician in local hospitals and communities in the country where he treated the poor from infectious tropical diseases such as malaria and typhus. With his recollection of brutal political conflicts happening in Haiti during his time, Francois Duvalier was inspired to enter the world of politics. He was selected by then President Dumarsais Estimé as the National Public Health Service's Director General.

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The Haitian government is currently in hiatus and conflict due to the emergence of a militant group claiming to be associated with the country's most powerful individual, the President. A group of fugitives who referred to themselves as "The Police" recently publicly claimed to have a connection with Haitian President Michel Martelly's political party. They have transformed themselves as the paramilitary force of Les Cayes' police department and are currently well-armed.

Les Cayes' government commissioner, Jean-Marie Salomon, announced that he has information on the identity of the group's members, mostly with criminal backgrounds and some having escaped from prison. With all the fuss on The Police's claim of being part of a strong political party, the Commissioner declined in confirming the group's political affiliation. This has worried the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH), especially in terms of the safety and security of Haiti's southern department. RNDDH's Executive Director Pierre Espérance believes that The Police belonged to Martelly's Tet Kale Party and was supposedly formed by Haiti's Minister of Justice Jean Renel Sanon in order to commit repression in the country.

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