African leaders to appoint panel to decide Habre extradition News
African leaders to appoint panel to decide Habre extradition

[JURIST] African Union [official website] officials are expected to ask a panel of legal experts to determine whether former Chad President Hissene Habre [HRW backgrounder] should be extradited to Belgium to face human rights charges, a senior African Union official said Tuesday. Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade said any such panel would likely recommend using an African court [Reuters report] to try the former ruler, who is currently living in Senegal. Belgium issued a warrant for Habre's arrest last year on charges of torture and murder during his rule from 1982 to 1990, but has denied knowledge of the atrocities. Senegal referred his extradition to the African Union after a Senegalese court refused to rule on the issue. Reuters has more.

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