(Nairobi) – The 2016 conviction in Senegal of former Chadian dictator Hissène Habré was a pivotal moment in the pursuit of justice for atrocity crimes, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) said today. The verdict, which followed a 25-year legal campaign by Habré’s victims , was the first time the domestic courts of one country tried and convicted the former leader of another for serious international crimes under the principle of universal jurisdiction. On May 30, 2016, the Extraordinary African Chambers (EAC), an African Union-backed court within the Senegalese judicial system, sentenced Habré to life in prison for crimes against humanity , war crimes , and torture including sexual slavery and rape. Habré ruled Chad from 1982 to 1990 with US and  French backing. His government was responsible for widespread political killings, systematic torture, and thousands of arbitrary arrests. Habré  died in August 2021, after eight years in custody.…