The National Transitional Council, which acts as the parliament of Chad, adopted this Thursday, November 23, the amnesty law proposed by the government, by 145 votes for, 6 against and 2 abstentions. This text covers all participants – civilian or military, already prosecuted or not – in the violence of October 20, 2022, this “Black Thursday”, which left between 73 (according to the government) and at least 218 dead (according to the Chadian League of human rights). Resulting from the agreement signed at the end of October in Kinshasa with the opponent Succès Masra, it is debated in the country, and despite this broad vote, the discussions at the CNT were lively, but not necessarily in the expected direction.
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Four ministers were present to defend the need for an amnesty. They underlined the objective of the project: “ peace, reconciliation and national cohesion “.
Following the political commission of the CNT, which had estimated “ necessary, the abandonment of legal proceedings “, those present largely supported the amnesty, but during the session, several speakers attacked the opponent Succès Masra, responsible, according to them, for the clashes.
259 people arrested and convicted by the courts, including many members of his party, benefited from a presidential pardon last March.
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This amnesty is mainly criticized by parties and organizations absent from the CNT, such as the Wakit Tama platform and the Chadian Human Rights League, who are concerned about “ impunity » for the military and their auxiliaries who targeted mostly peaceful demonstrators.
The government says the end of criminal proceedings does not prevent victims’ families from seeking compensation through civil justice. The authorities could also set up a compensation mechanism. This does not convince human rights defenders, who doubt that responsibilities will ever be found.
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