BOSTON (AP) Accusations of political violence and terror have followed a former Haitian mayor all the way to a Boston courtroom, where a civil trial began Monday that shines a light on the wider issue of bloodshed and unaccountability in the Caribbean nation's politics.

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.

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Ex-Haiti mayor accused of killing, torture faces civil trial - Jamaica Gleaner