The Extraordinary African Chambers within the Senegalese judicial system was created by agreement with the African Union (AU).The pretrial investigation, by four Senegalese magistrates, is expected to last 15 months. The investigation will potentially be followed by a trial in 2014, over which a non-Senegalese judge appointed by the AU will preside.
Habré’s trial would mark the first time the courts of one country tried the leader of another country for alleged human rights crimes.
“After 22 years of tenacity and perseverance, Hissène Habré’s victims will finally get their day in court,” said Reed Brody, legal counsel for Human Rights Watch who has worked with Habré’s victims since 1999 in a statement issued in Nairobi on Monday.
Habré is accused of thousands of political killings and systematic torture during his presidency, from 1982 to 1990. He has been living in exile in Senegal for more than 22 years.
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