By Jean-Pierre
Chad’s opposition leader, Succès Masra, is set to appeal his recent conviction and has not ruled out escalating the case to international courts.
Last week, a high court in N’Djamena sentenced Masra — leader of The Transformers, Chad’s main opposition party — to 20 years in prison. The conviction stems from the Mandakao tragedy, an inter-communal conflict last May that left 42 people dead.
Masra, through his legal team, has vowed to challenge the ruling.
“We will leave no stone unturned,” Masra’s lawyer, Francis Kadjilembaye was quoted as saying. “Since the case was tried in the first instance by the Court of Appeal, in its criminal division, the only recourse at the national level is an appeal to the Court of Cassation.”
According to Radio France Internationale (RFI), if all national legal avenues are exhausted, Masra’s defense plans to take the case to international courts, including the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights.
In parallel with legal proceedings, Masra’s lawyers have already notified several international bodies, including the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights, the Élysée Palace in France, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
Vincent Brengarth, Masra’s French lawyer, noted that while some supporters were hoping for a presidential pardon during President Mahamat Idriss Déby’s Independence Day address last Sunday, Déby made no mention of his chief political rival.
