Seven Chadian and international organizations deplored last weekend that the victims of former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré are still waiting to receive court-ordered compensation, seven years after his historic conviction in Senegal, announces a press release published on the website of the NGO Amnesty International.
Leader Habré was sentenced on May 30, 2016, to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture, in particular for acts of sexual violence and rape, by a Senegalese court supported by the African Union. .
In Chad, a criminal court sentenced, on March 25, 2015, about twenty agents of the Habré regime for acts of torture and murder. Both courts had ordered the payment of millions of dollars in compensation to the victims.
But these compensations are not always honored and two victims have still died, extending the list of around 400 direct and indirect victims who have already died since the 2016 verdict.
For the seven organizations, the African Union and the government of Chad should respect their obligations vis-à-vis the victims arising from these court decisions.
In 2018, the African Union adopted a Statute for the Trust Fund for the benefit of victims of the crimes of Hissène Habré. This Fund was mandated to search for and recover Habré’s assets and solicit voluntary contributions from states or other parties. But until then, the Fund would not yet be operational and the victims are still waiting.
“Habre’s victims are heroes who fought tirelessly for 25 years to bring their dictator and his henchmen to justice, and were awarded millions of dollars in compensation, but to date have not received a single penny of these repairs. Two of the most active victims have just passed away and many of them are in very fragile health and desperately need these reparations,” said Jacqueline Moudeina, lead lawyer for the victims.
The seven organizations calling on the African Union and the Chadian government to grant reparations are: Amnesty International, the Association des Victimes des Crimes du Régime de Hissène Habré (AVCRHH), the Chadian Association for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (ATPDH), Human Rights Watch, the International Commission of Jurists, REDRESS and the Rose Lokissim Association.
Hissène Habré, who ruled Chad with an iron fist from 1982 to 1990, died in August 2021.
By OMA Newsletter N° 1194 of 05/30/2023
Article published under the direction of Dr. Najib Kettani
The OMA, NGO with an Intercontinental vocation
For the development of cultural exchanges
Valuing human potential
The promotion and consolidation of Africa’s development, and
Inter-African integration
