Human rights in Haiti of human rights abuses against the Haitian people. For example, following a 1991 coup by the military that overthrew democratically elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide, the Haitian army was accused of killing an estimated 3,000 people in three years. Upon his return to the presidency, Aristide disbanded the army. In 1957, François Duvalier, also known as "Papa Doc", became president of Haiti, ushering in a period of human rights abuses from which the country is still recovering. An estimated 30,000–60,000 people were killed in the 30 years Haiti was under the rule of Duvalier and his son—and successor—Jean-Claude Duvalier, also known
François Duvalier young Duvalier. He was also aware of the latent political power of the poor black majority and their resentment against the tiny mulatto (black and white mixed-race) elite. Duvalier supported Pan-African ideals, and became involved in the "" movement of Haitian author , both of which led to his advocacy of Haitian Vodou, an ethnological study of which later paid enormous political dividends for him. In 1938, Duvalier co-founded the journal "Les Griots". On 27 December 1939, he married , with whom he had four children: Marie‑Denise, Nicole, Simone, and Jean‑Claude. In 1946, Duvalier aligned himself with President Dumarsais Estimé