Abstract
From 20 July onwards, Chad’s previous despot,
Hissène Habré, will be in the dock on charges of
crimes against humanity, torture and war crimes
before the Extraordinary African Chambers (EAC)
in the Senegalese court system. His trial will be
Africa’s first to proceed to trial under the guise of
universal jurisdiction – the principle that
international crimes have no borders. Its decisive
start signals a judicial rendez-vous with the ghosts
of Chad’s brutal past and will bring to a close a
protracted legal drama, meandering through a
myriad of jurisdictions. Next to being a catalysing
forum for witness testimony, the Habré trial will
above all be a litmus test for ‘Pan-African’ justice.
Hissène Habré, will be in the dock on charges of
crimes against humanity, torture and war crimes
before the Extraordinary African Chambers (EAC)
in the Senegalese court system. His trial will be
Africa’s first to proceed to trial under the guise of
universal jurisdiction – the principle that
international crimes have no borders. Its decisive
start signals a judicial rendez-vous with the ghosts
of Chad’s brutal past and will bring to a close a
protracted legal drama, meandering through a
myriad of jurisdictions. Next to being a catalysing
forum for witness testimony, the Habré trial will
above all be a litmus test for ‘Pan-African’ justice.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 5-9 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Newsletter Criminology and International Crimes |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 23 Jun 2015 |
Keywords
- Habre
- Senegal
- Chad
- Truth Commission
- Universal Jurisdiction
- Extraordinary African Chambers
- Torture
- ICJ
- Belgium