The life sentence for Chad’s former President Hissene Habre was on Thursday upheld by a court in Senegal.
The appeals court in Senegal upheld Mr. Habre’s conviction of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Losing the appeal of his conviction may well put an end to the landmark case.
Habre’s lawyers wanted to get a review of his earlier conviction claiming it was excessive. The former Chadian leader was sentenced to life in prison in 2016 for rape, the killing and torture of many political opponents while in office.
The court also ruled that compensation worth millions of dollars awarded to over 4,000 victims would now be managed by a trust fund.
The 74-year-old Habre’s conviction was the first of a former head of state by an African court.
Souleymane Guengueng, who collected accounts of survivors and founded the Association of Victims of Crimes of the Regime of Hissene Habre is quoted by the ABC News as saying that “I have been fighting for this day since I walked out of prison more than 26 years ago. Today I am finally at peace. I hope that all the dictators in Africa take notice — no one is above the law!”
Clement Abaifouta, a former prisoner who was also forced to bury dead prisoners is quoted as saying after the ruling that “Today is a great and a famous day for all victims. I am dreaming of now building a new society without the violence, a new society with democracy and with respect for human beings.”
Source: Africafeeds.com
