Chad reinstates the death penalty

Just months after its abolition, Chad has reintroduced the death penalty to punish 'terrorist' acts in the country which has become the target of Nigerian Islamist from Boko Haram on Thursday.

Chad, which joined the regional coalition against insurgents in early 2015, was hit twice by suicide bombings in less than a month, the first of such in the country.

President Idriss Déby Itno, who has been in power since 1990, said in mid-July that he will "never give up" against the Islamists who, after suffering serious defeats, have stepped up their raids in recent weeks.

An anti-terrorism law

It was in this context that after several hours of positive deliberation, the Chadian Parliament adopted the anti-terrorism bill submitted by the government but tightening considerably later in the evening. MPs have indeed replaced 'penalties in perpetuity' in the original text for the most serious cases by "death penalty". A choice that has something astounding: the death penalty had been abolished in Chad about six months ago. In the same way, MPs replaced "with life sentences" the penalties of eight to 20 years in prison in the first version of the text.

The Act was passed in the evening by 146 votes for the motion with 0 against and 0 abstentions. Forty members were absent in an Assembly largely dominated by political ‘propouvoir’.

Regarding custody, MPs also significantly toughened the government's decision. While the Executive provided a 15 day custody, renewable twice as the maximum duration, members agreed on a '30 days' duration, renewable up to two times. The debate had been heated all afternoon. They are amendments tabled by the Committee on laws that have led to a consensus.

Define 'terrorism '.

The discussions focused on article 14 of the Statute and its definition of 'terrorism', considered too vague by the opposition and defenders of human rights who feared repressive derivatives.

The text aims at perpetrators ' of threats [attacks, hostage-taking, etc.], "committed by an organization to create a climate of insecurity, blackmail on the government or satisfy a hatred towards a community, a country, a system. It also covered impair acts "the regular functioning of the public service.

This definition "exposes the organizations of civil society, political parties to repression under the guise of terrorism", said the Chadian League of human rights (LTDH), the Union of trade unions of Chad and the Chad teachers Union in a joint communiqué.

But the text amended by MPs States now that “any individual or collective action for the expression of the rights and freedoms recognized by the Constitution and laws of the Republic is excluded from the scope of this definition [of terrorism].

"The Government striked a balance; we are relatively satisfied, even if there is nothing to boast about," responded the leader of the opposition, Saleh Kebzabo, on the contentious article.

"Nobody is favourable to terrorism but the fight against Boko Haram is a boon for the Chadian Government," according to opposition MP. He added that "This allows it to organize the repressive apparatus before the presidential election scheduled for 2016.”

The authorities have significantly strengthened security measures after the suicide attack in N'Djamena in June (38 deaths) and July (15 deaths). The Mayor of N'Djamena announced the ban on begging in the capital on Thursday. The wearing of the Islamic veil (burqa), allowing the bombers to hide explosives (already prohibited) searches are multiplying and hundreds of arrests have taken carried out these past months in N'Djamena.

However, before even the turn of the screw on the Islamist killings, international organizations for the defence of related human rights regularly denounced the practices of the power of president Déby who came into power through a coup and became a key ally of the France in the Sahel.

According to the latest report of Amnesty International (2014-2015), "serious violations of human rights were being perpetrated in virtually total impunity" in Chad.