Impunity for past violations remains a major concern. In January of this year, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, reminded the Haitian authorities of their obligation to investigate the serious human rights violations that took place during the rule of Jean Claude Duvalier, and for which no statute of limitations exists under international law. Today, I reiterate the High Commissioner's offer of support and technical assistance to the authorities of Haiti and I hope to work with the new authorities in this regard. In addition to the judicial process, I fully support the initiative to establish a Truth Commission. I hope it will thoroughly examine this period of Haitian history as well as others, promote memory and reconciliation, and raise awareness of the need to protect and promote human rights, particularly among young persons.

Duvalier, also known as "Baby Doc," is the son of former Haitian leader Francois Duvalier, or "Papa Doc," whom he succeeded as leader [BBC report] in 1971. Following a tumultuous reign, which included accusations of thousands of murders by his regime [HRW report], Duvalier fled Haiti in 1986, and had since resided in France, until his return to Haiti in January. Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] announced [JURIST report] that Haitian authorities will investigate crimes committed against humanity [press release] allegedly committed under the rule of Duvalier during the 1970s and 80s. This came shortly after Duvalier was detained and charged [JURIST report] with corruption, embezzlement and a number of other crimes. Four people, including former UN spokesperson Michele Montas, filed criminal complaints [JURIST Report] as well. The four were allegedly imprisoned and subjected to torture [Le Nouvelliste report, in French] during Duvalier's presidency. Three of them were forced into exile. Duvalier's lawyers claimed their client is the target of government persecution.