Lawyers for Chad ex-dictator Habre appeal life sentence

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The legal team for Chad's former dictator Hissene Habre has appealed the verdict handed down by a special tribunal that found him guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment for crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture and sex crimes during his time in power, one of his lawyers said Saturday.

The appeal was submitted Friday to the Extraordinary African Chambers, set up by Senegal and the African Union to try Habre for crimes committed during his 1982-1990 rule.

It was the first trial in which the courts of one country prosecuted the former ruler of another for alleged human rights crimes.

What the Conviction of Chad's Former Dictator Means for African Human Rights

The breakthrough for many victims of atrocities committed under the former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré came on May 30 in Dakar, Senegal. After nearly two decades of effort by activists, the Extraordinary African Chambers in the courts of Senegal convicted Habré of torture, war crimes and crimes against humanity and handed down a life sentence. For those of us in the courtroom, the cries of joy from the victims after the judges’ ruling underscored its immense importance.

Habré was the first African suspect prosecuted under ‘universal jurisdiction’

The Habré trial was the first in which a court in Africa prosecuted a suspect under “universal jurisdiction”— which allows states to prosecute certain heinous crimes even if they were committed abroad, by foreigners and against foreigners. While many countries have universal jurisdiction laws, few have used them. European countries have launched most such cases. South Africa has begun to investigate crimes on the basis of universal jurisdiction but has yet to bring any prosecutions.

Sri-Lankan Model Against Boko Haram: Between Human Rights Watch And Nigeria Military

Human Rights Watch says Nigeria’s military should not use the example of Sri Lanka’s defeat of Tamil separatists in its war against Boko Haram.

To crush Boko Haram insurgents, Nigeria's Defence Headquarters last week declared it would employ the "Sri Lankan method." It's hard to imagine a worse idea.

Boko Haram's brutal campaign in northern Nigeria demands urgent action to protect the civilian population. The militant Islamist group's atrocities have killed thousands and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes, sparking a humanitarian crisis in Nigeria's northeast and across national borders. Boko Haram's April kidnapping of nearly 300 schoolgirls has dramatically increased international attention on the problem and pressure on the government to resolve it.

Boko Haram Terror & Other Unlawful Killings: A Demand For Presidential Invitation Of The Chief Prosecutor For International Criminal Court Security, For Investigation & Prosecution Of Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes & Related Others-Part One

INTERSOC/NG/002/05/14/FGN/ABJ

His Excellency

Dr. Goodluck Jonathan

President & Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces

Federal Republic of Nigeria

The State House, Three-Arms-Zone

Abuja, FCT, Nigeria.

Sir,

Boko Haram Terror & Other Unlawful Killings: A Demand For Presidential Invitation Of The Chief Prosecutor For International Criminal Court Security, For Investigation & Prosecution Of Crimes Against Humanity, War Crimes & Related Others-Part One

(Rule of Law & Onitsha-Nigeria, 29th of May, 2014)-The leadership of International Society for Civil Liberties & the Rule of Law-Intersociety writes Your Excellency concerning the above subject. This letter of ours is coming four months, two weeks and two days after our first letter of the year was addressed to Your Excellency. Your Excellency will recall that the first letter under reference was dated 13th day of January, 2014 (averting chaos & bloodletting imminent in 2015 general polls). Today, being 29th day of May, 2014 marks 15 years of return to civilian rule in Nigeria with over 65,000 citizens estimated to have been unlawfully killed within the periods under reference-May 29, 1999 to May 29, 2014.

Issues Warranting This Important Letter: As Your Excellency is aware, the state of security in Nigeria is under a serious threat. For us at Intersociety, the country operates a woefully failed security system. It is a clear case of a country using typewriting security measures to counter ICT security challenges. The Boko Haram terror and other unlawful killings have caused the country an irreparable damage. As we write, there is steady movement of people from northern parts of the country to southern parts. These mass movements are caused by insecurity and other unsafe conditions caused by Boko Haram terror and other ethno-religious violence.

McCain - US military should rescue schoolgirls, even without Nigeria's permission

The US military should rescue the 200 schoolgirls abducted in Nigeria by Islamist militant group Boko Haram, even if the Nigerian government disapproves, Sen. John McCain says. Meanwhile, negotiations on a prisoner-hostage exchange appear to be advancing.

The longtime US senator and two-time presidential candidate told The Daily Beast that the US should feel no compunction to withhold sending special operations forces to find the kidnapped girls – especially in a country led by “some guy named Goodluck Jonathan.”