Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier is Arrested in Port-au-Prince

Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier, Haiti’s exiled dictator who made an unexpected return to his home country on Sunday, was arrested today for widespread abuses, including corruption, theft, misappropriation of funds and other crimes.

Duvalier, 59, said he had “come to help” in the wake of last year’s earthquake. But many Haitian-Americans in Brooklyn – a borough that boasts the largest Haitian population outside of Haiti – were angered and confused by his sudden arrival.

"He should have never come back," said Marcrooseler Sylla, a Bed-Stuy resident who was born in Haiti and left at the age of five. Sylla said he remembers his childhood in Haiti as a time when his family lived in fear and held a hatred for the dictator until they were able to leave for America. He recalls whispers of neighbors disappearing and feeling as though they had to walk on pins and needles.

"He was our boogie man back then," said Sylla.

Duvalier is the son of Francois “Papa Doc” Duvalier, who ruled Haiti from 1957 to 1971. During that time, Papa Doc was notorious for his intimidating and brutal tactics and dictatorial leadership, which he was backed by a private militia known as the “Tontons Macoutes.”

When his son took over in 1971, he was only 19. But he ruled with the same, repressive iron fist – a 15-year rule during which he is accused of embezzling millions of dollars from the impoverished country, a charge he denies.

Duvalier fled the country in 1986 and settled in France. His recent return to Haiti comes at a time the country is still reeling from last year’s earthquake and a stalled election (the vote was postponed because of a dispute over which candidates should be on the ballot), leaving some speculating whether his aspirations are again political.

“He’s adding additional confusion to a country that already is confused,” said Nadine Juste-Beckles, a Haiti native who now lives in Brooklyn. “We’re dealing with a questionable election; we’re trying to figure out where all of our relief money has gone, people are sick and dying… it’s just a distraction right now.”

Duvalier had been staying in a luxury hotel in the hills above the centre of Port-au-Prince with advisors, while UN police guarded the hotel's entrance.

Since his arrival, Human rights groups, such as Human Rights Watch, urged the Haitian government to arrest and prosecute him immediately.

Yanick Ezillard, vice-chair of the Brooklyn-based National Haitian American Health Alliance also wanted to see him arrested.

“If you look at the thirty years of what Duvalier rule meant for Haiti, you can see how it left our country – fewer people could read and write, fewer people had jobs,” said Ezillard. “The only thing they cared about was maintaining their power and keeping their wealth. He needs to respond to all charges against him and his father.”

And while many Haitian-Americans felt his arrival added insult to injury, others in Haiti supported and welcomed his arrival, recalling the Duvalier regime as a time of relative calm and safety in the country.

“Depending upon who you’re talking to, a dictatorship can be good for some,” said Juste-Beckles. “Just like you can talk to some people in Cuba and there are those who felt Castro was the worst thing for the country. And then, you talk to others, and they love him and feel that he was responsible for keeping the country together and orderly.”

But Sylla called the sense of order "calm out of fear." Ellizard agrees.

“That’s just nostalgia,” said Ezillard. “It’s a false sense of security to think things were safe and calm, because they are comparing it to what is going on now. But how much progress did we make during that time? None. It’s not clear why he returned. But he needs to be prosecuted for his injustices.”