Daily Trust

Court upholds life sentence of Chad's ex-leader

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An appeals court in Senegal upheld the life sentence of Hissene Habre, former Chad president, on war crimes charges.

The court also ruled on Thursday that millions of dollars of compensati­on awarded to more than 4,000 victims would be managed by a trust fund.

The trial against Habre began in July 2015, though victims and survivors have been pursuing the case against their former leader for 16 years.

Habre is the first former head of state to be convicted for human rights abuses in the court of another nation.

The court dropped the rape conviction against Habre because the charge was introduced during the trial, said head appeal judge Ougadeye Wafi.

However, the judge said he believed the accounts of a witness who said she was raped by Habre. Over 90 witnesses testified in the trial.

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