Habre has been sentenced to life in prison by an African Union-backed court in Senegal.
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The trial began in July 2015, but victims and survivors have been pursuing the case against their former leader for more than 15 years. Beginning in 1982, his eight-year term as the president of Chad was marked by large-scale, systematic violations, including those involving murder of an estimated 40,000 people, widespread sexual violence, mass imprisonment, enforced disappearance, and torture.
The judge, Burkina Faso’s Gberdao Gustave Kam, condemned Habre’s “insulting contempt” during the hearings.
Hissene Habré, who ruled Chad from 1982 to 1990, remained expressionless behind sunglasses and a white turban as the judges read the guilty verdict in a courtroom in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.
The trial was the culmination of a 25-year campaign by the victims and human rights activists to bring Habre to justice.
“Today will be carved into history as the day that a band of unrelenting survivors brought their dictator to justice”, he added, explaining that the trial could inspire victims of injustice everywhere.
Proceedings delayed as a result of Habre’s refusal to recognise the CAE and sometimes was forced to appear in court.
Chad’s ex-ruler Hissene Habre has been convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison at his war crimes trial in Senegal.
USA lawyer Reed Brody, who investigated Habre’s regime for Human Rights Watch, said the ex-dictator took the precaution of “emptying the coffers” before leaving Chad and built up a “protection network” in Senegal.
I strongly commend the Senegalese Government, the Chadian Government, and the African Union for creating the Extraordinary African Chambers that allowed for a fair and balanced trial.
The precedent set by the verdict could be seismic, according to legal experts, especially after years of criticism that the International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, has tried African leaders many say should be judged on the continent.
It also used archives of the Documentation and Security Directorate (DDS), Habre’s feared secret police. Over 90 witnesses testified.
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Habre, who received strong backing from the US while in power, has been given 15 days to appeal. He refused legal representation but the court appointed him Senegalese lawyers.
