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
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