Arusha, October 21, 2014 (FH) \u2013 Chad has rejected a cooperation request from the Extraordinary African Chambers (EAC), further complicating the efforts of this Senegal-based special tribunal to bring to justice those most responsible for crimes committed in Chad under Hiss\u00e8ne Habr\u00e9 (1982 -1990).<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
According to a communiqu\u00e9 posted on the EAC website, the Chadian authorities on October 14 rejected a request for an EAC rogatory commission to go to Chad \u201cto proceed with the questioning and charging\u201d of two former Habr\u00e9 aides, Saleh Younous and Mahamat Djibrine. Both men are currently detained in Ndjamena.<\/p>\n
Lawyers for the victims have slammed what they say is contempt on the part of Ndjamena.<\/p>\n
Younous and Djibrine are both under EAC investigation for crimes against humanity and are under international arrest warrants issued more than a year ago. Chad had promised to transfer them to the EAC in Dakar but has now apparently changed track.<\/p>\n
The rogatory mission requested by the EAC on October 3 was planned for October 18 to November 2. \u201cHowever, it will not now go ahead,\u201d says the EAC.<\/p>\n
For victims\u2019 lawyers (Collectif des avocats des victimes), \u201cChad\u2019s refusal to transfer the two Habr\u00e9 accomplices and its rejection of the EAC rogatory commission request show Chad\u2019s contempt for the EAC and for the African Union mandate\u201d.<\/p>\n
The EAC were created under an agreement between Senegal and the AU.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter a year of unkept promises, the Chadian authorities have slowed the procedures, thus demonstrating that they do not respect African and international justice,\u201d the lawyers\u2019 collective says in a communiqu\u00e9 received by Hirondelle.<\/p>\n
The lawyers urge the EAC not to be discouraged by Ndjamena\u2019s refusal to cooperate. \u201cThe aim of the long struggle of survivors, widows and orphans has always been to bring to justice Hiss\u00e8ne Habr\u00e9, the head of state who ordered the repression,\u201d they say. \u201cHe is the one most responsible for the massive abuses committed under his regime. The EAC must move forward and set an example by trying the former dictator.\u201d<\/p>\n
Habr\u00e9, who has been living in Senegal since 1990, was arrested at his Dakar home in June 2013 and charged two days later with crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture.<\/p>\n
The lawyers say that if Chad wants to try Saleh Younouss and Mahamat Djibrine in its own courts, then it must organize free and fair trials. \u201cThe Chadian government should move forward and bring these two individuals to justice (\u2026), along with all the other accomplices of Habr\u00e9, in line with international standards and penal procedure,\u201d they say.<\/p>\n
ER\/ JC<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Arusha, October 21, 2014 (FH) \u2013 Chad has rejected a cooperation request from the Extraordinary African Chambers (EAC), further complicating the efforts of this Senegal-based special tribunal to bring to justice those most responsible for crimes committed in Chad under Hiss\u00e8ne Habr\u00e9 (1982 -1990).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[555],"tags":[],"ji_location":[],"class_list":["post-24927","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-hirondellenews"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n