Yvon Neptune (file photo)

The U.N. special envoy to Haiti has called on Haitian authorities to release former Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, jailed for a year without trial for allegedly masterminding the killings of political opponents in 2004.

Special envoy Juan Gabriel Valdez Thursday questioned the way Haiti's judicial system has handled Mr. Neptune's case. Mr. Valdez suggested the former prime minister could be freed while the case is prosecuted.

Mr. Neptune surrendered to police in June of last year. He is accused of ordering the killings of opponents of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in February 2004.

The former prime minister has rejected the accusations as politically motivated. He is reportedly refusing food to protest his detention.