After 25 years in exile, former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier has returned to Haiti. Duvalier is still loathed by many Haitians who suffered under his rule. But others have welcomed his return. We look at what Duvalier's return means for the future of Haiti and we get the latest from the CBC's Connie Watson from outside the Hotel Karibe where Duvalier is staying.

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PART ONE

It's Tuesday, January 18th.

After 25 years in exile, former dictator Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier was permitted to return to Haiti over the weekend.

Currently, former Democratically-elected President Jean-Bertrand Aristide is still unwelcome.

This is The Current.

The Return of Baby Doc (Updated) - Connie Watson

We started this segment with a clip from a scene at the airport in Port-au-Prince Sunday as Jean-Claude Duvalier returned to Haiti after 25 years of self-imposed exile. "Baby Doc" got a surprisingly joyful reception for a former dictator who ran a private militia that tortured and murdered its opponents.

Jean-Claude Duvalier ruled Haiti from 1971 to 1986, inheriting power from his dictatorial father and using the same dreaded Tontons Macoute militia to enforce his will.

The latest we are hearing from Haiti is that police and prosecutors have gone to see Jean-Claude Duvalier at the Hotel Karibe where he is staying. We are not sure if he has been arrested. For the latest we were joined by the CBC's Latin American correspondent Connie Watson. She wa outside the Hotel Karibe in Port-au-Prince.

The Return of Baby Doc (Updated) - Panel

Many Haitians fled the Duvaliers. And many of them ended up in Montreal where today, there is a strong Haitian diaspora community.

Marjorie Villefranche fled Haiti during the first Duvalier regime. She's now the Director of Maison de Haiti, an organization that helps immigrants integrate into Canadian society. She was in Montreal. Frantz Voltaire also left Haiti during the Duvalier years. He is the Director of the Information and Research Centre on Haiti and the Caribbean. He was also in Montreal.

The Return of Baby Doc (Updated) - Chalmers Larose

Chalmers Larose is professor of political science at the Universite du Quebec a Montreal. He is a former lawyer teacher and diplomat from Haiti and he is watching developments there today. Chalmers Larose was in Montreal.

The Return of Baby Doc - Robert Fatton (Not in updated audio)

Robert Fatton teaches politics at the University of Virginia. He's also the author of The Roots of Haitian Despotism. He was in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Related Links:

• Haitian police escort Duvalier from hotel - The Associated Press
• Baby Doc's return to Haiti prompts fury, cheers - CBC News
• Canadian government condemns return of dictator (Baby Doc) Duvalier to Haiti by Jonathan Montpetit and Andy Blatchford - The Canadian Press
• Haitians ponder the return, after 25 years, of Baby Doc by Rory Carroll & Kim Willsher - The Guardian
• Wikileaks cables: 'Baby Doc' Duvalier's possible return to Haiti concerned US by Mark Tran - The Guardian
• Baby Doc's Shocking Homecoming by Eric Pape - The Daily Beast

Other segments from today's show:

• Modern Marriage
• White Nose Syndrome Killing Bats