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Tag: Hissene Habre

  • Hissene Habre ordered to compensate victims

    A Senegalese court ruled in Dakar on Friday that the former Chadian dictator, Hissene Habre, convicted for crimes against humanity in May, would have to pay tens of thousands of dollars in reparations to his victims.

    The Extraordinary African Chambers, a special criminal court set up by the African Union within the Senegalese court system, granted Habre’s victims of rape and sexual violence reparations of about 34,000 dollars each, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

    The prosecutor said victims of arbitrary detention, torture and prisoners of war would receive 25,000 dollars, while indirect victims would get 17,000 dollars each.

    The Amnesty International described the ruling against the 73-year old, the first ever trial of a former head of state in sub-Saharan Africa, as “a significant moment” in the victims’ quest for justice.

    It, however, said it is not clear if Habre has the means to make the payments.

    The amnesty has urged all parties involved to make sure that those entitled get payment.

    Habre received a life sentence for having coordinated crimes against humanity, which included illegal detention, repression and sexual slavery at the end of May.

    He was also convicted of war crimes, torture and sexual slavery.

  • Habre gets life sentence for crimes against humanity

    Former Chadian president, Hissene Habre, was on Monday sentenced to life in prison by the Special African Chamber, created in 2013 by Senegal and the African Union, for crimes against humanity.

    The court found him guilty of ordering the killing and torture of thousands of political opponents during his eight-year rule which began in 1982, Reuters reported.

    The verdict caps a 16-year battle by victims and rights campaigners to bring the former strongman to justice in Senegal, where he fled after being toppled in a 1990 coup in the central African nation.

     

  • Prosecutor recommends life imprisonment for Chad’s Habre

    Prosecutors in the landmark human rights trial of former Chad ruler Hissene Habre recommended life imprisonment if he is convicted of war crimes, crimes against humanity and torture, Senegal state radio has said.

    Habre, who ruled Chad from 1982 to 1990, went on trial in the Senegalese capital last July and a verdict is expected this year. It is the first time a domestic court system in one country has tried a former leader of another on rights charges, Reuters reported.

    Rights advocates said the case offers an alternative avenue for justice to the International Criminal Court based in The Hague. Many African leaders have voiced scepticism about the ICC on the grounds that it has investigated abuses mainly in Africa.

    Habre was deposed in a coup in 1990 and fled into exile in Senegal. He was detained in 2000 and in 2012 a Belgian judge obtained a ruling from the United Nations’ top court, the International Court of Justice, ordering Senegal to try or extradite him.

    A year later, the Extraordinary African Chambers was created for the trial.

    Habre has remained largely silent during the case and his lawyers have said the proceedings are illegitimate. The defence will deliver its final statements on Thursday.

  • Chadian ex-president faces war crimes trial

    Chadian ex-president faces war crimes trial

    The war crimes trial of Chadian former President Hissene Habre, will resume on Monday in Senegal’s capital, Dakar.

    The trial which, comes 45 days after he and his lawyers boycotted the court, marks the first time an African ex-president faces justice in sub-Saharan Africa.

    Habre stands accused of crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture, and will face the Extraordinary African Chambers, a special criminal court set up by the African Union within the Senegalese court system.

    So far, about 2,500 of the dictator’s victims had submitted their testimonies, including those of Rights groups who accused the 72-year-old of being responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people during his time in power.

    But Habre – who is said to have prevented all forms of opposition during his rule from 1982 to 1990 by using a system of arrest, torture and murder – refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the court.

    The ex-president, who was previously dragged into the courtroom did not stand up or respond when called on by the judge when the trial began in July, instead he interrupted the proceedings shouting that it was a “farce’’.

    The court has meanwhile appointed a new team of lawyers to represent Habre for the remainder of the trial.

  • Habre forced to appear for trial in Senegal

    Habre forced to appear for trial in Senegal

    An African Union-backed court in Senegal forced former Chadian President Hissene Habre to appear for the start of his trial on charges of crimes against humanity on Monday, after his legal team denied the legitimacy of the tribunal.

    Habre, dressed all in white, was brought into the courtroom before the media were allowed to enter and seated in front of the judges’ dais, Reuters says.

    “We brought Habre in by force,” said a source close to the special court.

    Habre is accused of being responsible for the torture and killing of thousands of people during his 1982-1990 rule in his central African country. The trial marks the end of a 15-year battle to bring him to justice in Senegal, where he has lived in exile after being toppled in a coup.

  • Habre suffers heart problems ahead of trial

    Habre suffers heart problems ahead of trial

    Chad’s deposed president, Hissene Habre, has suffered a serious heart problem while in detention in Senegal, his lawyer said on Sunday, days before he is due to go on trial for crimes against humanity in a landmark case for human rights in Africa.

    Habre, 72, is undergoing tests and it is not clear whether the problems will affect the start of the trial on July 20 at a specially-appointed court in Dakar, the lawyer, Francois Serres, told Reuters.

    The court has charged Habre with war crimes and torture and he would be the first former African leader to be tried for human rights offences by another African state.

    “Habre had a serious heart problem during the night of Monday-Tuesday and the same thing again during the night of Wednesday-Thursday,” Serres said, adding that his client had suffered years of high blood pressure.

    Habre was detained in Senegal in 2013 after living in exile there since being overthrown in a coup in 1990.

    Human rights groups hold him responsible for the torture or killing of up to 40,000 people during the eight years he led Chad, an impoverished, oil-producing nation in central Africa.

    Chad’s current president, Idriss Deby, served as a military chief in Habre’s administration before overthrowing him in the 1990 coup.

  • Ex-Chad leader faces trial in Senegal

    Ex-Chad leader faces trial in Senegal

    A court in Senegal has ordered former Chadian President, Hissene Habre, to stand trial for alleged war crimes, torture and crimes against humanity, the BBC reports.

    Judges at the Extraordinary African Chamber said there was sufficient evidence against Mr. Habre, who is in custody in Senegal.

    The court was set up by Senegal and the African Union to try Mr. Habre after his arrest in 2013.

    His trial will mean the first use of universal jurisdiction in Africa.

    Mr. Habre, now 72, is accused of thousands of political killings during his 1982-90 presidency, which ended when he was deposed by the current Chadian President, Idriss Deby.

    He denies the charges and refuses to recognise the legitimacy of the court.

    In 2008, Mr. Habre was sentenced to death in absentia by Chad for leading an armed rebellion in the country earlier that year.

    The trial is expected to begin in May or June.

    It will be held by a three-member panel – two Senegalese judges and a foreign lead judge from another African Union member state.