A Belgian judge issued an international arrest warrant for former Chadian leader Hissene Habré on September 19 for persecuting ethnic groups including the Sara, Hadjerai, and the Zaghawa. Habré committed the crimes during his tenure as president from 1982 to 1990, using the government's secret police force, the Directorate of Documentation and Security (DDS). A Truth Commission created by Habré's successor estimates that a total of 40,000 political murders and tortures took place during the eight year period. Under the principle of "universal jurisdiction," which holds that every state may prosecute the perpetrators of particular crimes such as genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, the Belgian court has called for the extradition of Habré. Habré has been living in exile in Senegal since 1990, when he was overthrown.
"This is a great day for Habré's thousands of victims and a milestone in the fight to hold the perpetrators of atrocities accountable for their crimes," said Reed Brody of Human Rights Watch, who coordinates the international efforts of the Chadian victim plaintiffs. "It's taken many years, and many twists and turns, but in the end Habré could not escape his victims."
