– Justice in Africa –
Brody said it was also the first time that the concept of “universal jurisdiction” – that a suspect can be prosecuted for their past crimes wherever in the world they find themselves – had been implemented in Africa.
“So there are a lot of historical aspects to this. But, for me, the most important kind of thing is that it is the survivors who have pushed for 25 years,” he added.
Habre will be judged by the Extraordinary African Chambers, set up by Senegal and the African Union in February 2013 to prosecute the “person or persons” most responsible for international crimes committed in Chad during Habre’s rule.
The trial will be heard by two Senegalese judges and one from Burkina Faso, who will serve as president of the process.
The chambers indicted Habre in July 2013 and placed him in pre-trial custody while four investigating judges spent 19 months interviewing some 2,500 witnesses and victims and analysing thousands of documents.
Around 100 witnesses will testify during hearings expected to last around three months, although 4,000 people have been registered as victims in the case.
Habre has said he does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction and vowed that he and his lawyers will play no part, although under Senegalese law he could still be forced to turn up.
“When we began this case, when we started working with the victims – I stated in 1999 – one of the victims said to Human Rights Watch ‘since when has justice come all the way to Chad?’,” Brody told AFP.
“The African Union saw the importance of being able to show that you can have justice in Africa,” he added.
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