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All of a sudden, as dozens of his supporters entered the courtroom chanting slogans, Habr\u00e9 stood up and began shouting and pushing against his guards, who tried to restrain him and finally carried him out of the courtroom.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\n\n \n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022embed align-right embedded-entity embedded-entity-type-media embedded-entity-bundle-image embedded-entity-viewmode-embeddable embed--right\u0022 xmlns:xlink=\u0022http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\u0022\u003E\n \n\n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \n \n\n\n\n\u003Cfigure class=\u0022figure figure--expand text-center info \u0022\u003E\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__media relative inline-block mx-auto\u0022\u003E\n \u003Ca href=\u0022\/modal\/25487\u0022 rel=\u0022modal:open\u0022 class=\u0022figure__link\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cimg loading=\u0022lazy\u0022 srcset=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/480w\/public\/multimedia_images_2015\/habre-day1.jpg?itok=TTv_4q05 480w, \/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2015\/habre-day1.jpg?itok=Q_78jwQQ 946w\u0022 sizes=\u0022(max-width: 524px) 100px, 500px\u0022 width=\u0022946\u0022 height=\u0022473\u0022 data-responsive-image-style=\u0022embedded_images\u0022 src=\u0022\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/embed_xxl\/public\/multimedia_images_2015\/habre-day1.jpg?itok=Q_78jwQQ\u0022 alt=\u0022Hissen Habre trial, day 1\u0022\u003E\n\n\n\n \u003Cdiv class=\u0022figure__expand absolute block bottom-0 right-0 w-8 h-8 bg-white text-gray-700\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022sr-only\u0022\u003EClick to expand Image\u003C\/span\u003E\n \n\n\n\u003Cdiv class=\u0022icon fill-current w-full inline-block\u0022\u003E\n \u003Csvg viewBox=\u00220 0 20 20\u0022 fill=\u0022currentColor\u0022 role=\u0022img\u0022 focusable=\u0022false\u0022 aria-hidden=\u0022true\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cuse xlink:href=\u0022\/themes\/custom\/hrw_design\/dist\/app-drupal\/assets\/spritemap.svg?cacheBuster=250315#sprite-expand\u0022 \/\u003E\n \u003C\/svg\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/a\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003Cfigcaption class=\u0022figure__info text-left font-serif text-xs md:text-sm lg:text-base mx-auto text-gray-700 mt-1\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__caption\u0022\u003EVictims\u0027 lawyer Jacqueline Moudeina addresses the court during the opening day of the trial of Hiss\u00e8ne Habr\u00e9.\n\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022figure__credit\u0022\u003E\u00a9 2015 Human Rights Watch\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003C\/figcaption\u003E\n \u003C\/figure\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003Cp\u003EThe room was calm again minutes later for the opening ceremony, presided by Court President Gberdao Gustave Kam. Mback\u00e9 Fall, the chief prosecutor, explained the many years of legal procedures leading to today\u2019s opening. The high point of the ceremony, however, was the moving speech by Jacqueline Moudeina, the lead counsel for the victims. There were tears in the courtroom \u2013 and we were told, even more back in Chad where the ceremony was shown live \u2013 as she talked about the thousands of victims who died when Habr\u00e9 was in power and the survivors who passed away in the 25 years since and would not be able to see this historic day.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EAfter the opening ceremony, the \u201creal\u201d trial began but recessed quickly with the news that Habr\u00e9 had refused to appear in court. The president sent a bailiff to invite him into court \u201cwithout violence\u201d for the afternoon session. When that session began, however, the president read out a note from Habr\u00e9 who said that he refused to come voluntarily.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp style=\u0022margin-left:35.4pt;\u0022\u003EThis court, which I refer to as the \u201cExtraordinary Administrative Committee,\u201d is illegitimate and illegal. Those on the bench are not judges but simple functionaries who are carrying out political orders. I was illegally imprisoned following a kidnapping and have been illegally detained since. I consider that I do not have to answer any requests from this committee whose existence and activity are illegal.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EUnder Senegalese procedural law, Habr\u00e9\u2019s refusal to appear willingly meant the president had the choice of going forward with the trial in his absence or of ordering that he be brought to court by force. The courtroom held its collective breath as it waited to hear how the president would respond. To the surprise of many, he announced that he was sending a bailiff to bring Habr\u00e9 to court \u201cby force\u201d on Tuesday. The decision was a relief to the victims who have been fighting for so many years to look Habr\u00e9 in the eyes and ask why they were jailed and tortured, why their loved ones were killed.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n \n\u003C\/div\u003E\n","settings":null},{"command":"insert","method":"prepend","selector":".js-view-dom-id-blog_live_feed__blog_body_block__279463__en","data":"","settings":null}]