Human rights in Haiti Haiti". "They were loyal only to Papa Doc. In return, they could rob, steal, extort, torture and murder at will." The Tonton Macoute continued to openly terrorize the population until they were officially disbanded after Jean-Claude Duvalier was forced from the presidency and went into exile in 1986. The government in Haiti is known for running a slow, inefficient and corrupt system of justice. Allegations of torture and kidnapping are common whereas the number of Haitian citizens imprisoned without trial is huge. Lawyers' immunity is under constant threat. Under the Duvalier regime, lawyers were intimidated from defending their clients through
Anti-Duvalier protest movement (CNG), under the leadership of Army Commander Henri Namphy, to rule the country after his exile. The Duvaliers settled in France and although lived comfortably, was denied a request of political asylum by the French authorities. Jean-Claude soon lost most of his wealth in his 1993 divorce with his wife. A private citizen, Jacques Samyn, unsuccessfully sued to expel Duvalier as an illegal immigrant (the Duvaliers were never officially granted asylum in France). Then, in 1998, a Haitian-born photographer, Gérald Bloncourt, formed a committee in Paris to bring Duvalier to trial. At the time, the French Ministry of the Interior