DAKAR, Senegal – The trial of former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre accused of overseeing the deaths of thousands had a chaotic beginning Monday as security forces ushered the ex-leader into and then out of the Senegal courtroom amid protests by his supporters.
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The 72-year-old has been held in custody since his arrest two years ago.
During his years in power between 1982 and 1990, human rights groups say, 40,000 people were killed under Habre’s regime, which was known for its fierce repression of opponents and for targeting rival ethnic groups.
Dressed in white robes and a turban, Habre pumped a fist in the air and cried “God is greatest” as he was escorted by prison guards into the Extraordinary African Chambers in the Senegalese capital. A judge from Burkina Faso will lead the trial.
One of Habre’s lawyers said he refuses to recognize the legitimacy of the court and will not cooperate with the hearings. The global Court of Justice in 2012 ordered Senegal to either extradite or try the former leader.
“It’s one thing for African presidents or African leaders to complain about abusive African leaders being sent to The Hague”.
A lawyer close to Habre said he would not address the tribunal and refused to recognise its authority.
The former president, for his part, has condemned the trial as politically motivated.
The trial against Hissene Habre is a major milestone for justice in Chad and in Africa. The commission blamed Habre’s Directorate of Documentation and Security, saying it used torture methods including whipping, beating, burning and the extraction of fingernails, according to Fox News. This will be the first trial in Africa of a universal jurisdiction case, in which a country’s national courts can prosecute the most serious crimes committed overseas, by a foreigner and against foreign victims, said Human Rights Watch.
The chambers indicted Habre in July 2013 and placed him in pre-trial custody while four investigating judges spent 19 months interviewing some 2,500 witnesses and victims and analysing thousands of documents.
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.
He said he had been “kidnapped” and “illegally detained” and therefore had no case to answer.
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Habre was overthrown by rebel troops in December 1990 and fled to Senegal, where he was arrested in June 1993. “And these match the testimonies of the victims day for day, word for word”.
