Above: Port-au-Prince (CJ Photo)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier finally appeared before a Judge Thursday to answer questions over human rights violations during his time in power in the country.

Duvalier’s appearance before Judge Jean-Joseph Lebrun came after failing to appear for three similar hearings.

Duvalier did not respond directly to many inquiries over his reign in Haiti, including over corruption and human rights violations, although he faced questioning for over four hours.

“No one thought Duvalier, who was in exile for 25 years, would face criminal charges for fraud and political violence,” said Nicole Phillips, staff attorney with the Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, in a statement. “The fact that the court forced Duvalier to answer questions about his crimes in a public hearing with journalists is encouraging.”

Mario Joseph, a Haitian attorney and member of the Bureau des Avocats Internationaux, called Thursday a “good day for victims of Jean-Claude Duvalier and the Haitian justice system.”

“Now, we wait for an order from the Court of Appeals in which Duvalier is indicted for crimes against humanity,” he said. “We are very close to this.”

The hearing was part of an appeal filed by victims during Duvalier’s time in power, which lasted from 1971 to 1986, following a decision in 2012 that found that Duvalier’s human rights violations did not rise to the level of crimes against humanity.

Duvalier has argued that claims involving murder fall under Haiti’s statute of limitations, but Joseph said the crimes under Duvalier’s rule “cannot be barred by any statute of limitations pursuant to international law that is binding to Haiti.”

“As a matter of law, the Court of Appeals must grant the victims’ appeal and allow Duvalier to stand trial for both his political violence and fraud crimes,” Joseph said. “Given the events today, we are hopeful this court will issue a fair decision.”

His appearance came after a number of advocacy groups, including Amnesty International, had urged his arrest if he failed to show up again for the hearing.

Duvalier first returned to Haiti two years ago.

In 2011, the Swiss government moved for authorization to seize millions belonging to Duvalier, estimated at nearly $7 million.