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Jean-Claude Duvalier

Jean-Claude Duvalier, also known as Baby Doc Duvalier, was president of Haiti from April 22, 1971 to February 7, 1986.

Born on July 3, 1951, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Jean-Claude succeeded his father, Francois papa Doc Duvalier after his death in 1971. He was 19 years old at the time.
 
Jean-Claude Duvalier married Michele Bennett in 1980, in a lavish ceremony in Port-au-Prince.

Michele was born in Port-au-Prince in 1950, the daughter of Haitian businessman Ernest Bennett. She spent her youth in New York, where she went to school and held her first job as a secretary in a garment store.  Jean-Claude Duvalier was not her first husband. Her first husband was Alix Pasquet, with whom she has two children.

Many estimated that her wedding was the biggest event Haiti has seen for years and cost close to three million US dollars. After becoming first lady in Haiti, Michele was winning the heart of the population by  creating clinics and feeding the poor. She soon abandoned this practice and became more glamorous and fashion conscious.

Dr. Samuel Johnson, a British author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer, said: " He who is extravagant quickly become poor; and poverty will enforce dependence, and invite corruption".

Jean-Claude Duvalier continued with the practice of repression inherited from his father. Pope John Paul II will always be remembered for his famous speech while in a visit to Haiti in 1983. Observing the terrible conditions most Haitians were living in, he declared: "Things must change here".

Jean-Claude remained in power until 1986. After three Months of protest against and fearing the possibility of prosecution, Jean-Claude Duvalier went into exile. He is currently living in France.

In 1990, Michele Bennett and Jean-Claude Duvalier were divorced. Michele was awarded alimony and child support.

After Jean-Claude exile to France, several attempts were made by following Haitian Government to retrieve money allegedly stolen by the Duvalier. Complaint was made to switzerland alleging looting by the former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier.

Do you think the money should be taken from Jean-Claude Duvalier and returned to the Haitian Government?

Is Jean-Claude Duvalier entitled to any part of that money?

Should the Haitian Government stop the process and instead ask Jean-Claude Duvalier to comeback to Haiti and be involved in Haiti reconstruction?
 



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Event Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2010 00:00:00
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This is a video about the beginning of the presidency of Jean-Claude Duvalier in Haiti. A very young man who was 17 years at the time. Many were questionning whether or not he could be president of haiti at the time Francois Duvalier died.
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