Text/Comrade Guevara
As the earliest independent black country, Haiti belongs to Latin America, located on the west side of the island of Haiti, bordering the Dominican Republic in the east, Cuba and Jamaica across the sea in the west, bordering the Atlantic Ocean in the north and the Caribbean Sea in the south, covering an area of about 28,000 square kilometers, with the capital Port-au-Prince. Haiti has a total population of about 3.94 million, of which about 95% are descendants of black African slaves, and the rest are descendants of European immigrants and people of mixed race. Haiti was originally inhabited by Indians, but from 1492 it became a colony of Spain and France until 1804.
Before he died, Duvalier put his son on the presidency
Due to the large number of ethnic groups and factions in Haiti and the serious conflict of interests, coupled with the interference and aggression of Britain, France and the United States, the country has long been plagued by foreign invasions, civil wars and military coups, and the political situation has been in turmoil for a long time. In 1957, former Health Minister François Duvalier · became president with the support of United States, beginning the Duvalier family's 29-year dictatorship over Haiti. And the protagonist of this article, Jean-Claude · Duvalier, is the son of François · Duvalier.
As a young man, Duvalier Jr. was not interested in politics at all, but was obsessed with racing, football, and chasing beautiful women. However, whether the younger Duvalier wanted it or not, he was put on the presidency in February 1971 at the age of 19 by his terminally ill father. Two months later, Duvalier Sr. died of illness and Duvalier Jr. was officially sworn in, making him the youngest president in the world to date.
Little Duvalier was a brutal and greedy dictator
At the beginning of the younger Duvalier's rise to power, the real power was in the hands of his mother Simone and his eldest sister Marie, but the mother and daughter had very different political views, and two opposing political camps gradually formed around them - "dinosaurs" and "modernists", competing for power and profit with each other. Despite his young age, little Duvalier was a natural schemer, and knew how to exploit the contradictions between the two factions to consolidate his power, and once he took his seat, he was bound to eliminate both factions without mercy.
By March 1981, the younger Duvalier had completely dissolved the two factions and became the de facto ruler of Haiti. After Duvalier Jr. took power, he followed his father's pro-American policy and implemented drastic reforms at home, which led to economic growth, improved people's lives, and a relaxed social atmosphere in Haiti. However, this situation did not last long, and only two or three years later, due to the impact of the international economic crisis, Haiti's economy experienced a major downturn.
Haitians are complaining about the crimes of Petit Duvalier
The deterioration of the economic situation and the increase in unemployment have led to growing discontent among the population, and protests against the Petit Duvalier have gradually increased. In response, instead of adopting a policy of dialogue and conciliation, Duvalier Jr. resorted to violence, severely suppressing popular resistance through the military police, voodoo militias and Tuntun makut (paramilitary groups). Reports show that more than 100,000 Haitians were shot, tortured, detained, or exiled during the 29 years of the Duvalier family's rule, most of them during the reign of the younger Du.
In parallel with his repressive and brutal rule, the Younger Duvalier embezzled the country's property, amassing assets of $900 million, or 90 per cent of the country's total wealth (1976 figures). With millions of starving people struggling on the death line on one side and a rich presidential family on the other, the reality of such a serious injustice has undoubtedly put little Duvalier in a "crater" and is destined to be overthrown.
Riots in Haiti
Despite the escalation of repression in the Petit Duvalier, the movement against the dictatorship continued to grow and in February 1986 developed into a major national resistance. Faced with the fear of death, the army's position was shaken, and the generals called for the resignation of Duvalier Jr., and the United States withdrew its support for him and publicly urged him to step down. In the case of the rebellion, the younger Duvalier was forced to announce his resignation, and then fled to France with his family and $100 million in cash.
At first, the younger Duvalier continued to live a luxurious life in exile in France, but after only seven years, his wife Michel cruelly abandoned him and took most of his assets and flew to another country. Little Duvalier, who had lost his wife and lost his fortune, became destitute and could only survive on the help of his followers. In 2011, unwilling to be left alone, the little Duvalier ventured back to Haiti, but was arrested as soon as he got off the plane and charged by the court with embezzlement of state property, torture and murder.
Martelli meets Duvalier Jr. (right)
Just when much of Haiti expected justice for Duvalier Jr., then-President Martelli announced an amnesty for him, but in exchange he could no longer engage in politically related activities. In this way, under the surveillance of the Martelli government and the protection of his former followers, the younger Duvalier spent his last years in the capital, Port-au-Prince, until his sudden death from a heart attack in March 2014 at the age of 63. It is infuriating that little Duvalier, who was full of crimes and insatiable greed, was finally escaped from a righteous judgment and died a good death.