The former mayor of a town in Haiti is on trial after authorities say he lied on his U.S. visa application about rights abuses in his country.

A federal jury has ruled in favor of three men who said in a lawsuit that the former mayor of their small town in Haiti subjected them or their relatives to a campaign of political persecution that included a killing, attempted killings and torture.

The former mayor of a small Haitain town accused of terrorizing his political opponents is heading to trial in federal court in Boston.