Ex-Chadian dictator sentenced to life imprisonment in Senegal

Hissene Habre (74), former Chadian dictator nicknamed "Pinochet of Africa," was sentenced to life in prison on Monday in Senegal where he had long been in exile, the BBC and AFP reported. The special African court (EAC) in Senegal handed him lifetime sentence saying that the former dictator persecuted political enemies, and ordered rape, torture and execution by mobilizing organization during his eight years in power. It is the first time that an African dictator was found guilty in trial in other African country.

Habre, who served as Chadian president from 1982 to 1990, went to exile in December 1990 in the West African country of Senegal after being kicked out by rebels led by the incumbent Chadian president Idriss Deby. Having taken power with support from the U.S. and France during the Cold War era, Habre resorted to brutal rule of violence, which left more than 40,000 people killed during his term in office.

According to survivors’ testimonies, Habre’s secret police created a prison underground of a swimming pool in the capital N’Djamena, and tortured prisoners to the state of suspended animation by using electrical torture, burning cigarette torture, and suffocation.

Habre is taking a path similar to that of Chilean dictator Pinochet, who was arrested while recuperating after retirement, and put to trial. During his house arrest in Senegal from 2005 due to a flurry of condemnations by the international community, he was almost repatriated to Chad at one point. As the U.N. raised concern about unfair trial in Chad where his political enemy had taken power, he was put to trial in Senegal. In 2013 when he was given death penalty in an absent trial in Chad, the African Union and Senegal founded EAC to put Habre on trial. The court thus placed Habre to trial 25 years after he was ousted from power, and found him guilty about 10 months later.

Habre, who is eligible for appeal within 15 days, raised his right hand soon after the verdict. He expressed his intention to reject the ruling, saying the verdict was due to intervention by foreign forces. However, the Chadian people, who struggled amid his dictatorship, enthusiastically welcomed the ruling. “It is a historical day not only to Chad but to Africa. It will be a lesson to other dictators in Africa,” a member of a bereaved family told the BBC.

권재현기자 confetti@donga.com