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Former Haitian Dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier Dead At 63

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier has died of a heart attack in Haiti.

His attorney Reynold George confirmed Saturday the ex-leader died at his home in Port-au-Prince at the age of 63.

In Miami's Little Haiti, members of the community had strong opinions about the former dictator. "He no do nothing for the people, nothing for the country," said Lamar Joseph.

Watch Oralia Ortega's report, click here.

"The regime sent hundreds of people into exile, killing people, arresting people for their opinion," said community leader Tony Jean Noir.
Although most people did not have anything good to say, there were some who thought the country was better off with Duvalier as leader. "With any government that's strong, people say it's bad, but when you're gone they see you wasn't bad," said Pierre Cardinal Pierre

Duvalier, also known as "Baby Doc", was deposed more than 25 years ago in a popular uprising, and was living in exile in Paris, on the hundreds of millions of dollars he is accused of looting from Haiti.

His surprise return to Haiti in 2011 stunned the nation. He said he wanted to return and help in the reconstruction of Haiti following the massive earthquake in 2010.

He was charged with human rights crimes within days of his return, but he successfully argued in court that the statute of limitations had expired on charges that included torture, rape and extrajudicial killings.

Human rights groups decried the court ruling that spared Duvalier from facing human rights violation charges. Duvalier, and his father Francois "Papa Doc" Duvalier, together held Haiti in the grips of a bloody dictatorship for decades.

The regimes of both leaders tortured and killed political opponents and relied on a dreaded civilian militia known as the Tonton Macoutes.

In 1971, Francois Duvalier suddenly died of an illness and named his son to succeed him. At 19, Jean-Claude Duvalier became the world's youngest president and ruled for 15 years.

(TM and © Copyright 2014 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2014 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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