Chad: Habré-era Agents Convicted of Torture

20 Convicted, $125 Million in Reparations to Victims Ordered

March 25, 2015

THE HABRE CASE

Twenty-four years after the end of the Habré dictatorship, and fourteen years after the survivors filed their complaints, today’s convictions and the order of reparations are a stunning victory for Hissène Habré’s victims. The sentencing of state officials for human rights crimes is not only a testament to the courage and tenacity of the victims, it is a remarkable development in a country where impunity for past atrocities has been the norm.
Reed Brody, counsel for Human Rights Watch, who has worked for Habré's victims since 1999.

(N’Djaména) – The torture conviction in Chad on March 25 of 20 top security agents of the 1982-1990 Hissène Habré dictatorship is a victory for justice, Human Rights Watch said today. The criminal court acquitted four others and ordered that the Chadian government and the convicted persons pay US$125 million in reparations to over 7,000 victims.

Among those convicted to life sentences were Saleh Younous, former head of the Directorate of Documentation and Security (DDS), Habré’s political police, and Mahamat Djibrine described as one of the “most feared torturers in Chad” by a 1992 Chadian Truth Commission. Both men were also wanted by a court in Senegal trying Hissène Habré, but Chad declined to transfer them.

“Twenty-four years after the end of the Habré dictatorship, and fourteen years after the survivors filed their complaints, today’s convictions and the order of reparations are a stunning victory for Hissène Habré’s victims,” said Reed Brody, counsel for Human Rights Watch, who has worked with Habré’s victims since 1999 and observed the proceedings. “The sentencing of state officials for human rights crimes is not only a testament to the courage and tenacity of the victims, it is a remarkable development in a country where impunity for past atrocities has been the norm.”

Habré’s government is accused of thousands of political killings and widespread torture.

http://www.hrw.org/news/2015/03/25/chad-habre-era-agents-convicted-torture