Gambiaj.com (NJAMENA, Chad) – Police in Chad disrupted a conference planned to address justice for victims of former President Hissène Habré’s abuses on October 2, 2024, stopping a keynote speaker, former Human Rights Watch (HRW) counsel Reed Brody, from addressing his audience. The police also forced Brody to leave the country, citing his alleged failure to seek special authorization for the event, which was scheduled at the Center for Development Study and Training (Centre d’Etude et de Formation pour le Développement) in the capital, N’Djamena.

According to several eyewitnesses corroborated by independent sources, Brody was set to moderate the panel alongside Jacqueline Moudeina, a prominent Chadian lawyer known for her advocacy on behalf of Habré’s victims. The panel, co-hosted by the cultural and press section of the U.S. Embassy, would have focused on Brody’s recent book, To Catch a Dictator: The Pursuit and Trial of Hissène Habré, detailing the landmark case against Habré for human rights abuses committed during his 1982–1990 rule.

Witnesses report that police arrived shortly before the conference began, demanding Brody’s passport and threatening immediate expulsion. After intervention from center staff, Brody was driven to the intelligence office, where he was questioned for two hours before being escorted to his hotel to pack for a departure that night.

“This targeting of human rights activists underscores the continued injustices Habré’s victims face,” said Tirana Hassan, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch. “Instead of silencing the messenger, the government should complete full compensation for Habré’s long-suffering victims.”

This incident marks a disturbing break from Chad’s relatively open environment for human rights discussions, where international organizations frequently hold conferences without incident. Yet, local journalists and activists report persistent intimidation when they cover human rights issues, particularly surrounding Chad’s past under Habré and subsequent administrations.

Since taking power in 2021 after his father’s unexpected death, President Mahamat Idriss Déby Itno has introduced reforms, though critics claim these changes largely consolidate his power. Déby’s government began disbursing partial compensation in early 2024 to 10,700 of Habré’s victims, a sum criticized as a fraction of the reparations initially ordered by courts.

Additionally, a court-ordered monument and museum to honor those affected by Habré’s brutal rule remain unestablished, despite commitments from the government.

With tensions rising, Human Rights Watch has called on Chad to engage in constructive dialogue with rights defenders and uphold pledges for comprehensive reparations.

Counsel Brody is currently assisting victims of Yahya Jammeh’s former administration in bringing Gambia’s exiled former ruler to justice. Reed Brody, along with victims of the Jammeh regime and a group of civil society organizations, is using his expertise to persuade the world and Equatorial authorities that protecting Jammeh is not in their best interests, particularly in light of the horrors described at the Truth Reconciliation and Reparations Commission (TRRC).