Idi Amin, the former dictator of Uganda whose regime was responsible for widespread murder and torture and the wholesale exile of his country's Asian community, is dying in a hospital in Saudi Arabia. He is 78 years old and has lived in exile, mostly in Saudi Arabia, since 1979.
"We regret that Idi Amin is dying without meeting justice for his crimes," said Reed Brody, director of special prosecutions at Human Rights Watch. "Amin was one of the bloodiest tyrants in a bloody century. It's increasingly possible to prosecute dictators outside their home countries. Unfortunately, the trend didn't catch up with Mr. Amin in time."
Mr. Amin lived in Saudi Arabia for the last ten years of his life, during which time some former dictators, such as Augusto Pinochet of Chile, and Hissène Habré of Chad, were being arrested abroad. Others, such as Milton Obote of Uganda, Mengistu Haile Miriam of Ethiopia, Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier and Raoul Cedras of Haiti, and Alfredo Stroessner of Paraguay, have not been prosecuted. A Human Rights Watch backgrounder on exiled leaders is attached.
When asked in 1999 about the possibility of Amin's extradition or prosecution, a Saudi diplomat explained (incorrectly) to Human Rights Watch that according to Bedouin hospitality, once someone was welcomed as a guest in your tent, you did not turn him out.
"The world is a smaller and smaller tent," said Brody. "One day, even the Idi Amins of this world will find they have nowhere to hide."
Background on Idi Amin
On taking power in 1971, Idi Amin created several new security organizations which reported directly to him, including the Public Safety Unit and the State Research Bureau. Along with the Military Police, these security forces killed approximately 10,000 Ugandans. Over the next few years, many more Ugandans fell prey to Amin's henchmen, sought sanctuary in neighboring countries, or went into hiding in Uganda. A report by the New York City Bar Association's Committee on International Human Rights estimated the number of victims of Amin's reign of terror between 100,000 and 500,000. Many prominent Ugandans lost their lives during Amin's regime, including Chief Justice Benedicto Kiwanuka and Anglican archbishop Janani Luwuum.
In 1972, Amin ordered the expulsion of Uganda's 70,000 citizens of Asian origin and the expropriation of their extensive property holdings, including 5,655 firms, factories, and farms and U.S. $400 million in personal goods.
To read the Human Rights Watch backgrounder on exiled leaders, please see:
http://www.hrw.org/press/2003/07/torturers072103-bck.htm