In this photograph provided by attorney Ela Matthews, David Boniface, Nissage Martyr and Juders Yseme, from left, pose together in January 2014 in Haiti. Boniface, Yseme and Martyr's son Nissandere are plaintiffs in a suit against former Les Irois, Haiti Mayor Jean Morose Viliena, who now lives in suburban Boston. The former mayor is accused of terrorising his political opponents in a case that highlights the violent nature of Haiti's politics and the lack of accountability. The trial began on Monday, March 13, 2023, in federal court in Boston. Photo: Ela Matthews/Center for Justice & Accountability via AP

Attorneys painted widely different pictures of Jean Morose Viliena during opening arguments in US District Court in Boston.

Those included claims of a killing, torture, and arson — or a successful mayor who helped improve the town of Les Irois in the late 2000s.

Viliena, who now lives in Massachusetts, is being sued by three Haitian citizens who say they or their relatives were persecuted by him and his political allies.

The suit was filed under the Torture Victim Protection Act of 1991, which allows civil lawsuits to be filed in the US against foreign officials who allegedly committed torture or extrajudicial killing — if all legal avenues in their home country have been exhausted.

It was filed by the Center for Justice and Accountability in San Francisco.

The defence said Viliena was not involved in violence and increased services while leading Les Irois, a town of around 22,000 people on Haiti's westernmost tip, about 140 miles from the capital Port-au-Prince.

Viliena's attorney, Peter Haley told the 12-person jury during opening statements about a farmer's son who got an education, ran for mayor in 2006 and brought more paved roads, a medical clinic, waste pickup, and a better education system — all lacking before his election.

Viliena is a lawful permanent resident of the US, and he moved to the Boston suburb of Malden in 2009, drives a truck and is a “very productive member of the community,” Haley said.