November 10, 2017 - 6:26 AM
DAKAR, Senegal - Seven thousand victims who suffered torture and other abuses under the rule of Chad's former dictator Hissene Habre have filed a human rights complaint against the government, saying it failed to comply with court-ordered reparations.
Lawyers filed the complaint Friday with the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights.
A landmark trial in Chad in 2015 convicted 20 security agents for involvement in human rights violations, including murder and torture, during Habre's 1982-1990 rule. The court awarded $125 million to the civil parties, ordering that the government and perpetrators each pay 50 per cent.
The victims say they have tried to engage Chad's government to pay reparations for more than two years.
Separately, the Extraordinary African Chamber in Senegal sentenced Habre to life imprisonment and ordered compensation for victims.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017