The prosecutors presiding the trial of former dictator Hissene Habre have said that the verdict will be given on May 30. Habre will face life in prison if proven guilty of charges that include torture, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
Last July, the former dictator who ruled Chad from 1982 to 1990 and went on trial in the Senegalese capital. The court announced to the public that the verdict is expected to be given this year. According to Yahoo News, the trial is unprecedented since it is the first time a domestic court system in one nation has tried a former leader of another on rights charges.
The majority of the leaders in Africa expressed their skepticism about the International Criminal Court based in Hague. The leaders raised questions on the ground that it has investigated abuses primarily in Africa.
In 1990, Hissene Habre deposed in a coup and fled into exile in Senegal. Between 2000 and 2012, he was placed in prison by a Belgian judge who obtained a ruling from the United Nation's top court. Senegal founded The Extraordinary African Chambers and the African Union (AU) to get Habre in a trial in Dakar.
While Habre sat silently in court, one of the three attorneys of Habre who is Mounir Ballal, pleaded not guilty on behalf of him. ABC News reported that Habre remained silent throughout the proceeding while sporting sunglasses and wrapped in a crisp white turban that covers his mouth.
NDTV reported that Mbaye Sene, who is also defending Habre called for a pure and simple acquittal. "There have been no crimes against humanity, crimes of torture and even less war crimes," says Sene.
Hissene Habre, 74, refused to address the court and does not acknowledge its authority. Once Habre gets back to France, he could be sentenced to life imprisonment with forced labor.
