EXDICTATOR HANDED LIFE SENTENCE
Chad’s Habré brought down by civil servant
Whoops of joy and tears erupted in a courtroom Monday when Chad’s former dictator Hissène Habré was found guilty of a string of crimes that saw 40,000 people murdered under his regime and tens of thousands more snatched from the streets, imprisoned and tortured.
Among those celebrating was Souleymane Guengueng, pictured, a bespec-tacled civil servant and former prisoner who was tortured under Habré’s American- backed regime. He is also one of the men most responsible for putting the Chadian dictator behind bars.
Guengueng swore an oath when he was in prison that if he was freed he would work to bring Habré to justice.
“I feel 10 times bigger now than Hissène Habré,” said Guengueng after the verdict.
More than anything, it was the tireless work of victims like Guengueng that brought Habré down.
“For many years, as Souleymane and his colleagues hit one obstacle after another on their path to justice, the common refrain was that they would never succeed.
“But in a case that looked dead so many times, the victims made it clear that they would never go away,” said Reed Brody, a lawyer for Human Rights Watch who for the last 15 years has worked with Guengueng and others on the Habré case.
In a statement, Brody said other “extraordinary people” who worked toward the conviction included Chadian lawyer Jacqueline Moudeina, who survived a 2001 grenade attack from a Habré henchman to lead the victims in battle, and Clément Abaifouta, the “gravedigger” forced to bury other detainees in mass graves, who took over a victims’ association when death threats forced Guengueng into exile.
On Monday, Habré, 73, was convicted of being responsible for thousands of deaths and torture in prisons during his 1982- 90 rule. A 1992 Chadian Truth Commission accused his government of systematic torture, saying that 40,000 people died while he was in power. It placed particular blame on his political police force.
He was found guilty of crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture and sex crimes and sentenced to life in prison.
Habré was tried by the Extraordinary African Chambers in Dakar, Senegal, formed by Senegal and the African Union.
It is the first trial in which the courts of one country prosecuted the former ruler of another for alleged human rights crimes.
“Habré’s conviction for these horrific crimes after 25 years is a huge victory for his Chadian victims, without whose tenacity this trial never would have happened,” said Brody. “This verdict sends a powerful message that the days when tyrants could brutalize their people, pillage their treasury and escape abroad to a life of luxury are coming to an end.
“Habré’s conviction signals that no leader is above the law, and that no woman or girl is below it … This is the first time in history that a former head of state has been convicted in an international trial of personally committing rape.”
The accusations of rape came out during witness testimony at the trial.
Guengueng, a trained accountant, was imprisoned in 1988 and accused of working with the opposition. For more than two years, he suffered torture with his fellow i nmates and watched as they perished from starvation and disease.
After being released in 1990, he formed an associa- tion of victims and set about gathering the testimony of former prisoners — he collected more than 800 accounts, evidence that would prove vital against Habré at trial.
The New York Times later wrote: “On a continent where ordinary men are tortured, killed and forgotten without a second thought, Mr. Guengueng has done something extraordinary: fought back.”
Habré, who has lived in luxury in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, since fleeing Chad in 1990, denounced his trial as politically motivated.
He still has his supporters, some in court who cheered as he walked calmly out of the room surrounded by heavy security. He extended his hands to his supporters, then pumped his fist in the air as they shouted and clapped.
But as Habré was l ed away Monday, Guengueng reflected the world order had changed.
“It’s truly a great example for all the others victims around the world, particularly in Africa, to no longer remain silent. It’s the people in charge who must now be afraid,” he said.
“Today will be carved into history as the day that a band of unrelenting survivors brought their despot to justice,” said Brody.
THE VICTIMS MADE IT CLEAR THAT THEY WOULD NEVER GO AWAY.