Former Chadian leader to face trial in Senegal

VOA-A lawyer for the US-based Human Rights Watch says he has confidence in the commitment of Senegal’s new president, Macky Sall, to put former Chadian President Hissène Habré on trial in Senegal.

This comes after it was announced late Wednesday that Senegal and the African Union have signed an agreement to set up a special tribunal to try Mr. Habré, who is accused of murdering more than 40,000 people during his eight-year rule.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled last month that Senegal had to act quickly to put Mr. Habré on trial or extradite him to Belgium to stand trial at the ICJ.

Human rights lawyer Reed Brody who said he has been working with victims of the former Chadian leader for 13 years, said the news of a special tribunal means that Habré may soon face justice for his crimes.

“This is an important agreement. This brings us one step closer to Hissène Habré’s trial, and it is an important step to the long campaign that victims of Hissène Habré have been waging to bring him to justice,” he said.

Belgium issued an arrest warrant against Habré in 2005, after a Belgian of Chadian origin filed a complaint against him under Belgium’s “universal competence” law.

The law allows those accused of crimes under international law, which have affected Belgians, to be tried in Belgium.

Source: VOA Africa