Concerns over Chad’s terror law

In April, 44 Boko Haram suspects in pre-trial detention died in a prison cell in N’Djamena, Chad. They were part of a group of 54 alleged militants arrested in a raid led by Chad’s armed forces. The cause of death was reported as asphyxia or cardiac arrest. The remaining 40 deceased were hurriedly buried without a post-mortem examination. In Daily Maverick analysis, Allan Ngari notes that the tragedy highlights the false dichotomy between the state’s fight against terrorism and its obligation to respect human rights and the rule of law. He points out that Chad’s National Assembly in April adopted a new counter-terrorism law that removes the death penalty. ‘The country accepted the recommendation to abolish the death penalty in 2018, following the Universal Periodic Review of the UN Human Rights Council. This included for crimes linked to terrorism. But will this be enough to protect the rights of terror suspects? And will it restore Chadians’ trust in its military and judicial systems? As with most African states faced with the threat of violent extremism, military expenditure is high – 14% of Chad’s general government expenditure goes to the armed forces. But military might and declarations of emergency powers are eroding fundamental human rights in unjustified ways. All this weakens the rule of law, and promotes a recurrence of violence.’