To Catch a Dictator : The Pursuit and Trial of Hissène Habré

What does it take to make a dictator answer for his crimes? Hissène Habré, the former despot of Chad, had terrorized, tortured, and killed on a horrific scale over eight bloody years in power―all while enjoying full American and Western support. After Habré’s overthrow, his victims and their supporters were determined to see him held responsible for his atrocities. Their quest for justice would be long, tense, and unnerving, but they would not back down. To Catch a Dictator is a dramatic insider’s account of the hunt for Habré and his momentous trial. The human rights lawyer Reed Brody recounts how he and an international team of investigators, legal experts, and victims worked across three continents to unearth evidence and witnesses, petition courts and skeptical governments, and rally public opinion. They faced many obstacles and constant threats. One of Brody’s Chadian colleagues was gravely injured in a bomb attack, and another had to seek asylum in the United States. Habré fought back bitterly, drawing on secret bank accounts and extensive political connections to preserve his life of luxurious exile. Yet Brody and his allies ultimately triumphed: Habré became the first former head of state to be convicted of crimes against humanity in the courts of another country. This fast-paced, suspenseful book shows that there is nothing inevitable about the impunity that too often protects the powerful and that even the worst tyrants can be brought to justice. The book also features a foreword by Jacqueline Moudeïna, the lead lawyer for Hissène Habré’s victims, who received the Right Livelihood Award (the “alternative Nobel Peace Prize”) in 2011. What does it take to make a dictator answer for his crimes? Hissne Habr, the former despot of Chad, had terrorized, tortured, and killed on a horrific scale over eight bloody years in power-all while enjoying full American and Western support. After Habr's overthrow, his victims and their supporters were determined to see him held responsible for his atrocities. Their quest for justice would be long, tense, and unnerving, but they would not back down. To Catch a Dictator is a dramatic insider's account of the hunt for Habr and his momentous trial. The human rights lawyer Reed Brody recounts how he and an international team of investigators, legal experts, and victims worked across three continents to unearth evidence and witnesses, petition courts and skeptical governments, and rally public opinion. They faced many obstacles and constant threats. One of Brody's Chadian colleagues was gravely injured in a bomb attack, and another had to seek asylum in the United States. Habr fought back bitterly, drawing on secret bank accounts and extensive political connections to preserve his life of luxurious exile. Yet Brody and his allies ultimately triumphed: Habr became the first former head of state to be convicted of crimes against humanity in the courts of another country. This fast-paced, suspenseful book shows that there is nothing inevitable about the impunity that too often protects the powerful and that even the worst tyrants can be brought to justice. The book also features a foreword by Jacqueline Moudeina, the lead lawyer for Hissne Habr's victims, who received the Right Livelihood Award (the "alternative Nobel Peace Prize") in 2011. "When a Western-backed leader abuses their power and turns against their own people, bringing them to account for their crimes is an uphill battle. In this fastpaced expose, Reed Brody, a former investigator with Human Rights Watch, describes how he and his international team of investigators and torture survivors did just that. Brody tells how he and his team unearthed evidence and witnesses, petitioned courts and skeptical governments, and lobbied public opinion to bring Hissène Habré, the former dictator of Chad to justice. Habré, whose violent ascent to power was engineered by the U.S. government, had for eight years jailed, tortured and murdered tens of thousands of people in a desperately poor country he held captive to his cruel and uncompromising ambition. This story sounds the alarm about the tragic consequences of such a policy. Furthermore, the Habré case shows there is nothing inevitable about brutal tyrants going unpunished for their crimes, even when they have previously had powerful allies in the United States and Europe. With enough persistence, cunning, and imagination, survivors and their supporters can sometimes bring even the worst criminals to justice"-- Provided by publisher 10.7312_brod20258-fm 1 10.7312_brod20258-toc 5 10.7312_brod20258-001 9 10.7312_brod20258-002 15 10.7312_brod20258-003 23 10.7312_brod20258-004 32 10.7312_brod20258-005 41 10.7312_brod20258-006 52 10.7312_brod20258-007 59 10.7312_brod20258-008 72 10.7312_brod20258-009 83 10.7312_brod20258-010 87 10.7312_brod20258-011 94 10.7312_brod20258-012 101 10.7312_brod20258-013 105 10.7312_brod20258-014 108 10.7312_brod20258-015 113 10.7312_brod20258-016 115 10.7312_brod20258-017 119 10.7312_brod20258-018 122 10.7312_brod20258-019 127 10.7312_brod20258-020 131 10.7312_brod20258-021 135 10.7312_brod20258-022 141 10.7312_brod20258-023 145 10.7312_brod20258-024 153 10.7312_brod20258-025 159 10.7312_brod20258-026 165 10.7312_brod20258-027 168 10.7312_brod20258-028 172 10.7312_brod20258-029 177 10.7312_brod20258-030 185 10.7312_brod20258-031 191 10.7312_brod20258-032 201 10.7312_brod20258-033 210 10.7312_brod20258-034 216 10.7312_brod20258-035 228 10.7312_brod20258-036 233 10.7312_brod20258-037 243 10.7312_brod20258-038 247 10.7312_brod20258-039 256 10.7312_brod20258-040 261 10.7312_brod20258-041 273 10.7312_brod20258-042 283 To Catch a Dictator is a dramatic insider's account of the hunt for Hissène Habré, the former despot of Chad, and his momentous trial. The human rights lawyer Reed Brody recounts how he and an international team of investigators, legal experts, and victims went on a quest for justice To Catch a Dictator is a dramatic insider's account of the hunt for Hissene Habre, the former despot of Chad, and his momentous trial. The human rights lawyer Reed Brody recounts how he and an international team of investigators, legal experts, and victims went on a quest for justice.