How Haiti's Voodoo-obsessed 'Papa Doc' would stick pins in effigies of his enemies and kept frozen head of executed rebel leader during his 14-year rule, before his equally brutal son 'Baby Doc' took reins - as island descends into chaos again

It began with a rigged election and a promise to end the repression of Haiti's black population.

But it didn't take long for Francois Duvalier - the bespectacled doctor who took up the reins of power in September 1957 - to show his darker side.

The voodoo-obsessed leader would stick pins in effigies of his enemies and kept the frozen head of one executed rebel leader so he could commune with his spirit.

By the time 'Papa Doc' passed away in 1971, tens of thousands Hatians had died at his hands.

And his son, Jean-Claude, who was known as 'Baby Doc', was equally brutal. As well as ruling with an iron fist, he and his wife enjoyed lavish parties and banquets as ordinary Haitians struggled to survive. 

When he fled the country in 1986 with the help of a US military cargo plane, his country was in ruins.

Now, Haiti is struggling once again as a result of the brazen actions of gang leader Jimmy Cherizier - known by the nickname Barbecue.

Armed gangs have helped thousands of inmates break out of a prison in Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, as Cherizier pledged to oust the country's acting prime minister Ariel Henry.   

It began with a rigged election and a promise to end the repression of Haiti's black population. But it didn't take long for Francois Duvalier (above) - the bespectacled doctor who took up the reins of power in September 1957 - to show his darker side

By the time 'Papa Doc' passed away in 1971, tens of thousands Hatians had died at his hands. And his son, Jean-Claude, who was known as 'Baby Doc', was equally brutal. Above: The pair together

Papa Doc modelled himself on a spiritual figure named Baron Samedi, a deity in Haiti's national religion of voodoo.

Samedi is depicted with eerie skeleton make-up, a black tuxedo and white top-hat and speaks in a strange, nasal voice. 

Papa Doc adopted the mystical icon's love of rum and debauchery and also satisifed his exotic sexual fantasies with any Haitain of his choice.

This was despite the fact that he was married to a merchant's daughter, Simone Ovide. The couple had four children together, including Baby Doc.

Papa Doc used the feared Tonton Moucoutes to strike fear into his opponents. The group, who were more powerful than the army and police, were allowed to plunder at will.

Alleged enemies of the state would be snatched away to be tortured in the dungeons of Haiti's Fort Dimanche.

When Papa Doc discovered that the leader of the Tonton Macoutes, Clement Barbot, was plotting to topple him, he had him imprisoned.

When Barbot escaped, Papa Doc was told he had turned himself into a black dog to evade capture. This prompted the maniacal Haitian leader to order his men to kill every black dog in Haiti.

Now, Haiti is struggling once again as a result of the brazen actions of gang leader Jimmy Cherizier - known by the nickname Barbecue. Above: Cherizier (centre) in 2021 

An armed member of the Tonton Macoute (the Haitian militia) controls crowds in the streets of Port-au-Prince, circa 1980

After his death, his son assumed power at the age of just 19. He was widely said to be mentally impaired after being born with water on the brain.

Baby Doc often left his mother in charge as he closed off public roads to race his high-performance cars, drank booze and cavorted with women.

In 1980, Baby Doc married Michele, a divorced mother of two whose former husband had been involved in a failed coup against his father.

She immediately assumed a powerful role and had Madame Ovide sent into exile. 

Baby Doc's wife also handed key government posts and business contracts to friends and relatives.

Among them was her father, who gained control of the national airline.

With half of Haitians unable to afford shoes, the power couple's profligate spending made them hugely unpopular.

Their wedding alone had cost $3million and they also held lavish banquets and parties using state funds. 

When Pope John Paul II visited the island in 1983, he announced that 'things much change here'. Above: The Pope with Baby Doc and his wife Michele

Papa Doc (right) is seen with journalist Alan Whicker and Rosalie Adolphe, the leader of the Tonton Macoute

Papa Doc (right) and his son Baby Doc stand in front of the presidential desk in Haiti

At one, Baby Doc dressed as a Turkish sultan and each guest was given a gift of jewellery worth $10,000.   

The Duvaliers also secretly siphoned tens of millions of dollars into foreign banks. 

The Macoute were ordered to kidnap thousands of people and sell them into forced labour on sugar plantations across the border in the Dominican Republic. 

For each worker, they would pocket a few dollars in commission.

Haitians were also encouraged to give blood in the spirit of patriotism. But because the same needle was used repeatedly, the practice sparked an Aids epidemic.

The organs of executed prisoners were even marketed for transplants. 

However, the beginning of the end for the Duvalier regime came in the early 1980s, when Ronald Reagan became US President and promised to restore democracy in America's 'backdoor'.

When Pope John Paul II visited the island in 1983, he announced that 'things much change here'.

Three years later, with the island in the grip of a revolution, Baby Doc and his wife accepted American help of safe passage into exile.

Baby Doc drove his BMW into the hold of a cargo plane, which took him and his wife to France. 

He reportedly had $900million of stolen funds with him.

Avenging Haitians armed with machetes hunted down the fleeing Tonton Macoutes. 

Shortly after their arrival in France, financial investigators raided their luxurious villa and caught Michele trying to flush her shopping log-book down the toilet.

The book showed her latest purchases, which included Givenchy clothes worth $168,780, Boucheron jewellery valued at $270,200, $68,500 for a Hermes clock, and $9,752 for two horse-saddles for their children, Anya and Francois Nicolas. 

The couple divorced in 1990, with Baby Doc citing her 'immoral' behaviour in the suit.

After Haiti's devastating earthquake in 2010, Baby Doc made a dramatic return to the country, declaring he would help with its reconstruction. 

However, he passed away from a heart attack in 2014 at the age of 63. 

The New York-based Human Rights Watch estimated that up to 30,000 Haitians were killed, many by execution, under the regime of the two Duvaliers.

Baby Doc is seen watching from a balcony at the Hotel Karibe in Port-au-Prince in 2011, after he returned to the country following the devastating earthquake in 2010

Gang leader Cherizier has claimed responsibility for the latest wave of violence to grip the country. 

The former elite police officer is now the boss of a feared federation of gangs called the 'G-9 Family and Allies', formed around 2020 and thought to be better armed than the country's official police force. 

Cherizier describes his men as a 'revolutionary force' which aims to wipe out the bourgeoisie and improve conditions for the poor, but his reign of violence has seen mass killings in some of Haiti's most poverty-stricken areas.

He also admits to taking inspiration from Papa Doc.

'I was born next door to La Saline. I live in the ghetto. I know what ghetto life is,' he told AP. 

He said he got the nickname Barbecue as a child because his mother was a street vendor who sold fried chicken, not because he is accused of setting people on fire.