2014 Event Former Haitian leader Jean Claude 'Baby Doc' Duvalier dies of a heart attack at age 63; known for an oppressive regime, he fled the country in 1986 but returned in 2011, pleading not guilty to charges of corruption and human rights violations 2014 Event The Islamic State captures the Iraqi town of Sinjar, home to the country's Yazidi religious minority population; residents fled in advance of the extremists, who have demanded that non-Muslim residents convert to Islam or face death 2012 Event A refugee camp in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo experiences an outbreak of cholera; thousands have fled there due to fighting between government troops and M23 rebels 2011 Event In an effort to disprove claims that he has fled the country, Libyan dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi appears on television and claims to remain head of the revolution 1978 Event Director Roman Polanski skips bail and fled to France after pleading guilty to charges of engaging in sex with a 13-year-old girl 1968 Birthday Bill Bellamy, actor, Fled, How to be a Player, Joey Breaker 1962 Birthday Taslima Nasrin, born in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, doctor turned author, fled Bangladesh to live in exile since 1994, radical feminist and critic of Islam, works for New York University 1959 Event Dalai Lama fled China and was granted political asylum in India
