Senegalese prosecutors have announced their readiness to open investigations into the pending case of the former Chadian dictator. Hissène Habré faces several charges of crimes against humanity while he was the President of Chad between 1982 and 1990.
Habré, who has been in exile in Senegal since 1990, will be the first foreigner to be tried by a developing country.
One of the lawyers of Habré's victims, William Bourdon, told a news conference in the Senegalese capital Dakar that he had been assured by Senegalese judicial executives that investigations into the case will start in the short term. No date has been fixed.
The Paris-based lawyer said the case should take off in a few months because "too much time has been lost."
Senegal has been mandated by the African Union to prosecute Habré more than a year ago. The continental body also appointed a Special Representative [the former Benin Minister of Justice and Foreign Affairs, Robert Dossou] in Dakar for the case.
The delay has been attributed to legal obstacles, which have been taken care of by the Senegalese authorities. The country's courts can now try cases such as crimes against humanity. "So, there are no more obstacles to block Habré's case from proceeding," another defence lawyer Mouhamed Kébé, said.
Demba Ciré Bathily, also a defence lawyer, argued that the evidence gathered by the lawyers of the victims will serve as a basis for the trial to begin.
Rights activists blamed Senegal for its lack of notable progress to prosecute Habré. They believed the outcome of the trial will put an end to the culture of impunity in Africa.
The victims of Mr Habre's government brought so many complaints against him. Also, he was indicted by Belgium for committing war crimes, crimes against humanity and torture. The 1992 truth commission accused his government of executing 40,000 political murders. However, 4,000 victims have been officially named.
Source: AFROL
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