The Trial of Hissène Habré

On July 20, 2015, former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré will face trial on charges of crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture before the Extraordinary African Chambers in the Senegalese courts. The trial will be the first in the world in which the courts of one country prosecute the former ruler of another for alleged human rights crimes.  The advent of the trial, 25 years after Habré was overthrown and fled to Senegal, is entirely due to the perseverance and tenacity of Habré’s victims and their allies such as Human Rights Watch. The French newspaper Le Monde has called the case “a turning point for justice in Africa.”