Chad ex-dictator taken in and out of court as trial begins

Chad’s former dictator Hissene Habre will make history on Monday, July 20, when he is tried in Senegal over his regime’s brutality – the first time a despot from one African country has been called to account by another.

Once dubbed “Africa’s Pinochet”, the 72-year-old has been in custody in Senegal since his arrest in June 2013 at the home he shared in an affluent suburb of Dakar with his wife and children.

Habre, who ruled in Chad from 1982-1990, is facing charges of crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture before the Extraordinary African Chambers, a special tribunal created to try him in Senegal, in a major precedent for justice in Africa.

The proceedings, due to last around 3 months, are being heard by a Special African Chamber (CAE) created in 2013 by Senegal and the African Union.

Habre was first indicted by a Senegalese judge in 2000, according to Human Rights Watch, but twists and turns, arrests and releases over more than a decade brought the case to Belgium, and then finally back to Senegal, where Habre fled after being overthrown in 1990.

The case will be Africa’s attempt at meting out its own justice, instead of relying on the worldwide Criminal Court in The Hague, which has been accused of unfairly focusing its efforts on the continent.

“It’s one thing for African presidents or African leaders to complain about abusive African leaders being sent to The Hague”.

“It shows that you can actually achieve justice here in Africa”, said Human Rights Watch counsel Reed Brody, who has been working on the case against Habre since 1999, as stated by Daily Nation.

A successful trial of Habre, conducted to high standards and leading to a credible verdict, would strengthen African countries’ case that they are best placed to try their own.

Habre had said he did not recognise the court’s jurisdiction and vowed he and his lawyers would play no part in the trial.

“This is not a trial, this is a masquerade!” said a white robed Habre soon after entering. The commission blamed Habre’s Directorate of Documentation and Security, saying it used torture methods including whipping, beating, burning and the extraction of fingernails, as mentioned by Fox News.

Senegal has had to amend its laws to adopt “universal jurisdiction”, which is the foundation in worldwide law that allows one country to judge a foreigner for offenses allegedly committed in another, the AP reported. “This process touches humanity… a humanity that was not afforded to these victims”, she said in her opening statement.

If convicted, Habre’s sentence is expected to be 30 years to life with hard labor and be served in Senegal or another African Union country.

Assane Dioma Ndiaye, a lawyer for the civil parties, described the case as “historic” and underlined the “huge expectations” of the victims. “The Hissene Habre trial shows that it is possible for victims, with perseverance and resolve, to bring a dictator to court”.