Ex-Leader of Chad Goes on Trial for Crimes Against Humanity

[Disir]

PARIS — Twenty-five years after he was overthrown, Hissène Habré, a former president of Chad, went on trial Monday to face charges of crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture in a special court in Senegal backed by the African Union.



The long-awaited opening session began in chaos as Mr. Habré was forced to enter the courtroom and then, while waiting for the proceedings to begin, stood up and started shouting.



As if on cue, Mr. Habré’s relatives and supporters in the public gallery shouted slogans and scuffled with security officers. Video images from the court showed guards picking up the 72-year-old strongman, in his long white robes, and carrying him out of the room. Mr. Habré called out that the event was a farce staged by “African traitors” and “servants of America,” witnesses said.



Mr. Habré, who led a brutal government in Chad from 1982 to 1990, might have expected to live out his days peacefully in exile in Senegal, safe from prosecution. But he was not forgotten by his victims and the human rights groups that campaigned for nearly two decades to bring him to justice.



While African politicians have long complained that they are picked on by the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Mr. Habré’s comfortable life in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, was increasingly shown as an example of Africa’s not wanting to try its own. After years of foot-dragging, a new Senegalese government agreed to create a special tribunal, set up with a political mandate from the African Union, and try him “on behalf of Africa.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/21/w...oes-on-trial-for-crimes-against-humanity.html

Hey, you have demonstrated utter ruthlessness. How about some cash and guns?

 

[waltky]

Hambre gets life for crimes against humanity...

Former president of Chad sentenced to life for crimes against humanity
Tuesday 31st May, 2016 - Former president of Chad, Hissene Habre was convicted for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Habre had ordered torture and killing of thousands of his political opponents during his 16-year tenure. According to reports, the Senegal court also found Habre guilty of rape, forced slavery and kidnapping as well as ordering the killings of 40,000 people during his rule between 1982 and 1990. Habre, however, denied the accusations and refused to recognise the legitimacy of the court. Habre has been sentenced to life in prison by the Special African Chamber, a tribunal which was created in 2013 by Senegal and the African Union. Victims of Habre’s rule were present at the courtroom and cheered the verdict.

U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein reportedly said, "After years of struggle and many setbacks on the way to justice, this verdict is as historic as it was hard-won. In a world scarred by a constant stream of atrocities, the ramifications of this verdict are global." According to Human Rights Watch, Habre is the first former head of state to be convicted on the continent. It is also for the first time in modern history that one country’s domestic courts have prosecuted the former leader of another country on rights charges.

The case was based on whether Habre, after expelling Libyan forces from Chad, had ordered the killing and torture of his political opponents. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is said to have praised the verdict. He said, "As a country committed to the respect for human rights and the pursuit of justice, this is also an opportunity for the United States to reflect on, and learn from, our own connection with past events in Chad.” The United States was an ally of Habre during the Cold War and Habre had been feted by then U.S. President Ronald Reagan at the White House.

Former president of Chad sentenced to life for crimes against humanity