The Trial of Hissène Habré bookcover

The Trial of Hissène Habré

How the People of Chad Brought a Tyrant to Justice

Celeste Hicks 

(Author)

Alex de Waal 

(Editor)

et al.
4.9/5.0
21,000+ Reviews
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Description

When Hissène Habré, the deposed dictator of Chad, was found guilty of crimes against humanity in 2016, it was described as 'a watershed for human rights justice in Africa and beyond'. For the first time, an African war criminal had been convicted on African soil.

Having followed the trial from the very beginning and interviewed many of those involved, journalist Celeste Hicks tells the remarkable story of how Habré was brought to justice. His conviction followed a heroic 25 year campaign by activists and survivors of Habré's atrocities, which succeeded despite international indifference, opposition from Habré's allies, and several failed attempts to bring him to trial in Europe and elsewhere. In the face of such overwhelming odds, the conviction of a once untouchable tyrant represents a major turning point, with profound implications for African justice and the future of human rights activism globally.

Product Details

PublisherZed Books
Publish DateApril 15, 2018
Pages232
LanguageEnglish
TypeBook iconPaperback / softback
EAN/UPC9781786991836
Dimensions8.4 X 5.4 X 0.7 inches | 0.7 pounds

About the Author

Celeste Hicks is an independent journalist who specializes in Africa and the Sahel. She was the BBC correspondent in Chad for many years and has lived in Chad, Mali, and Somalia.
Alcinda Honwana is visiting professor of anthropology and international development at the Open University (UK). She was chair in international development at the Open University and taught anthropology at the University Eduardo Mondlane in Maputo, University of Cape Town and the New School in New York. She was also programme director at the Social Science Research Council in New York. Honwana has written extensively on the links between political conflict and culture and on the impact of violent conflict on children and youth, conducting research in Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Colombia and Sri Lanka. Her latest work has been on youth transitions and social change in Africa, focusing on Mozambique, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia. Alcinda Honwana's latest publications include: The Time of Youth: Work, social change, and politics in Africa, 2012; Child Soldiers in Africa, 2006; and Makers and Breakers: Children and youth in postcolonial Africa, 2005 (co-edited). She was awarded the prestigious Prince Claus Chair in Development and Equity in the Netherlands in 2008.
Alex de Waal is Executive Director of the World Peace Foundation and a research professor at Tufts University. During 2009-11 he served as senior advisor to the African Union High Level Implementation Panel for Sudan and Program Director at the Social Science Research Council. His academic research has focused on issues of famine, conflict and human rights in Africa including. He was awarded an OBE in the UK New Year's Honors List of 2009, was on the Prospect/Foreign Policy list of 100 public intellectuals in 2008, and the Atlantic Monthly list of 27 'brave thinkers' in 2009.
After studying history at London University, Richard Dowden taught as a volunteer in Uganda in 1971-2. On his return to Britain he worked for a peace organisation in Northern Ireland and then became a journalist, becoming editor of the Catholic Herald in 1976 and joining The Times foreign desk in 1980 travelling extensively in Africa. He became Africa Editor at the Independent at its foundation in 1986 and in 1995 he was invited to join The Economist as Africa Editor. He left The Economist to work as a freelance journalist and writer and in 2003 he became Director of the Royal African Society. He has made three full length documentaries on Africa for Channel 4 and the BBC and also several shorter films and appears frequently as a commentator on African affairs on the BBC, CNN, Al Jazeera, Sky News and other media. His book: Africa: Altered States, Ordinary Miracles was published by Portobello Books in September 2008. He is married with two daughters and lives in London.
Chair of the Publications Committee, International African Institute

Reviews

"Written by a journalist with a deep and broad knowledge of Chad, Hicks's book offers a vivid and compelling account of the long road to bring Hissène Habré to trial and brilliantly shows its significance both for Chad and international justice." --Marielle Debos, author of Living by the Gun in Chad

"This is a story that had to be told, of hell on earth and humanity's determination to fight back. A wonderful account of a campaign that achieved justice after 25 years." --Mike Dottridge, former head of Amnesty International's Africa Research Unit

"Shows the profound and wide-ranging impact of Habré's prosecution. Hicks's interviews with Chadian victims are incredibly moving. At the same time, she offers essential insights into whether the Extraordinary African Chambers represent a viable African alternative to the International Criminal Court." --Phil Clark, SOAS, University of London

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