The Extraordinary African Chambers in Senegal has begun the long-awaited trial of former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre, sometimes called “Africa’s Pinochet,” who is being tried on charges of crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture that occurred during his rule of Chad. The case was preceded by years of wrangling between Senegal, which had essentially given Habre refuge, and the African and international communities–particularly Belgium, which successfully took Senegal to the ICJ for its refusal to extradite Habre under the Torture Convention.
The EAC itself is another interesting experiment in the trend of “internationalized courts,” which we deal with in Chapter 4 of the book. It is enough of a domestic court, however, that the case is being considered a further application of the universal jurisdiction principle. The case also represents an application of the “African solutions for African problems” viewpoint which has underpinned a great deal of the strife between Africa and the rest of the world regarding the prosecution of international crimes. It will be interesting to watch how it plays out; watch for the many, many Ph.D. theses and law review articles it will no doubt inspire.
The trial is being followed by the ever-reliable Human Rights Watch, and their coverage can be found here.