Ex-Chad Dictator Hissène Habré Dead In Senegal
The former dictator of Chad (from June 1982 to December 1990), Hissène Habré, has died in a Senegal prison due to COVID19. Human rights and justice groups have been asking for months for the dictator to be vaccinated. The confirmation of his COVID19 infection was published by his widow Fatimé Raymonne Habré.
Habré was accused of ordering mass rapes, rape slavery plus ordering murders while in power. In the eight years that he was in power, the Chadian government carried out 40,000 politically motivated murders and 200,000 cases of torture, according to an investigation commission formed after he was deposed in 1990. Witnesses said victims endured electric shocks, near-asphyxia, cigarette burns and having gas squirted into their eyes. Eventually, he sought refuge in Senegal after being overthrown by rebels in 1990. Habré was believed to have been backed by the CIA and France's DGSE.
After years of legal battles and pressure, the African Union signed a deal to set up a special tribunal to try Habré. He was sentenced to life in Dakar by the African Extraordinary Chambers, for crimes against humanity and he was serving his sentence in Senegal. A court in Chad additionally sentenced him to death in absentia for crimes against humanity. Habré was previously given a 60-day release from prison earlier during the COVID19 pandemic's 1st wave. However, he was not granted another release or vaccine third wave during the 3rd wave, leading to his early death.
Habré was accused of ordering mass rapes, rape slavery plus ordering murders while in power. In the eight years that he was in power, the Chadian government carried out 40,000 politically motivated murders and 200,000 cases of torture, according to an investigation commission formed after he was deposed in 1990. Witnesses said victims endured electric shocks, near-asphyxia, cigarette burns and having gas squirted into their eyes. Eventually, he sought refuge in Senegal after being overthrown by rebels in 1990. Habré was believed to have been backed by the CIA and France's DGSE.
After years of legal battles and pressure, the African Union signed a deal to set up a special tribunal to try Habré. He was sentenced to life in Dakar by the African Extraordinary Chambers, for crimes against humanity and he was serving his sentence in Senegal. A court in Chad additionally sentenced him to death in absentia for crimes against humanity. Habré was previously given a 60-day release from prison earlier during the COVID19 pandemic's 1st wave. However, he was not granted another release or vaccine third wave during the 3rd wave, leading to his early death.
