The Albany Gazette - From exile to trial: major dates since Habre fled Chad

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From exile to trial: major dates since Habre fled Chad

POLITICS 14.02.2022

From exile to trial: major dates since Habre fled Chad

Key dates from former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre's overthrow to his life sentence for war crimes and crimes against humanity over his brutal 1982-1990 rule, in a landmark trial in Senegal.

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- Exile in Senegal -

-- December 1990: Habre is overthrown by rebel troops led by Idriss Deby and flees to Senegal. His regime is accused of repressing, torturing or killing opponents.

- Investigation -

-- May 1992: A Chadian commission of inquiry says Habre's regime killed more than 40,000 people, many of them political opponents and from rival ethnic groups.

- Charges -

-- January 2000: Seven Chadians file suit against Habre in Dakar for crimes against humanity and acts of torture. A judicial inquiry is opened.

-- February 2000: Habre is charged with "complicity in acts of torture" by a Senegalese judge.

-- November 2000: Chadians living in Belgium file charges against Habre in Brussels.

-- November 2005: Habre is detained after Belgium issues an international arrest warrant against him for crimes against humanity. Senegal's Appeals Court says it has no jurisdiction to rule on the extradition request and he is freed.

- Sentenced in Chad -

-- August 2008: Habre and 11 rebel leaders are sentenced to death in absentia in Chad for crimes against humanity.

-- June 2012: New Senegalese President Macky Sall says Habre will be tried in Senegal and rules out his extradition.

- Special tribunal set up -

-- August 2012: Senegal and the African Union sign an accord setting up a special court, the Extraordinary African Chambers, in Dakar.

- Arrested and charged -

-- June 2013: Habre is arrested and charged by the special court with torture, war crimes and crimes against humanity. Judges also order that he be held pending trial.

- Trial -

-- July 2015: Habre trial opens in Dakar.

-- February 2015: Trial wraps up with defence lawyers calling for an acquittal and prosecutors seeking a life sentence.

- Verdict -

-- May 30, 2016: Habre gets a life sentence for war crimes, crimes against humanity and a slew of other charges, including rape. The verdict marks the first time a country has convicted a former leader of another nation for rights abuses.

(K.Müller--BBZ)

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