Duvalier case: Pillay urges justice for past abuses in Haiti

UN/MINUSTAH

GENEVA (21 February 2013) – With the Court of Appeal of Port-au-Prince due to resume hearings later this week on serious violations of human rights committed during the presidency of Mr. Jean-Claude Duvalier, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, on Thursday reminded the Haitian authorities that the State has an obligation to ensure that there is no impunity for serious violations of human rights committed in the past. Pillay recalled that there is no statute of limitation under international law for serious violations of human rights amounting to international crimes, such as torture, extrajudicial executions, forced disappearances and rape. "Such systematic violations of rights must not remain unaddressed,” she said. "All those Haitians who suffered such abuses have a right to see justice is done. I encourage the judicial authorities to act on their responsibilities and ensure the victims are provided with the long overdue justice they deserve." ENDS For more information or media requests, please contact Rupert Colville (+41 22 917 9767 / rcolville@ohchr.org) or Cécile Pouilly (+ 41 22 917 9310 /cpouilly@ohchr.org) My voice, my right, my voice counts – Watch the Human Rights Day’s video UN Human Rights, follow us on social media: Facebook: facebook.com/unitednationshumanrights Twitter: twitter.com/UNrightswire Google+: gplus.to/unitednationshumanrights YouTube: youtube.com/UNOHCHR Storify: storify.com/UNrightswire The Universal Human Rights Index