Former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier has offered his sympathies to those who suffered abuses under his rule.
In his first public statement since his surprise return from exile, Mr Duvalier (59), who faces charges of corruption and crimes against humanity filed since his unexpected reappearance, stopped short of making a clear apology for the killings and torture that occurred during his 15 years in power which ended in 1986.
"I take this opportunity to express once again my profound sadness for those of my fellow citizens who genuinely see themselves as victims under my government," Mr Duvalier said last night.
Wearing in a dark blue suit and seeming frail, his remarks came in a prepared statement that he read to journalists at a private home on a mountainside overlooking the capital Port-au-Prince, in an enclave of Haiti's tiny but powerful elite.
The country has been awash with speculation about the reasons for Mr Duvalier's return since he stepped off a flight last Sunday.
It has added to political uncertainty fuelled by a protracted electoral impasse in Haiti, as it also grapples with a national cholera epidemic and slow-going efforts to recover from a catastrophic earthquake a year ago.
Echoing brief comments made on his arrival, Mr Duvalier said he had returned "to show solidarity in this extremely difficult period of the nation's life."
Apart from a vague reference to helping "to rebuild the country," he failed to detail any specific causes or endeavours, however.
Although it was billed as a long-awaited first news conference, Mr Duvalier took no questions from reporters. A crowd of about 100 supporters on hand for the event sang "Duvalier, the country is yours, do whatever you want," to a song punctuated by beating drums.
Human rights groups accuse Mr Duvalier of plundering state coffers and of continuing the reign of terror of his father, Francois ‘Papa Doc’ Duvalier, who died in 1971.
In addition to his remarks about "victims" of the bygone era, Mr Duvalier voiced sympathy for many supporters who he said had been targeted by lynch mobs when he fled in the face of a popular uprising in 1986.
"Thousands were assassinated cowardly, burned, grilled, burned with tires,' he said.
Reuters