Trial of Chad dictator Habre adjourned to September

Dakar (AFP) - Former Chadian dictator Hissene Habre was forcibly brought to court Tuesday for the second day of his trial in Senegal but judges adjourned the case until September to enable appointed lawyers to prepare his defence.

Habre, once dubbed "Africa's Pinochet", is accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity and torture during his blood-soaked reign, but has refused recognise what he brands an illegitimate tribunal.

The trial, seen as a test case for African justice, opened on Monday, a quarter of a century after his 1982-1990 rule came to an end.

Prison guards brought Habre, dressed in a white robe and turban, into the special court in the Senegalese capital Dakar for the second day.

But the 72-year-old refused to speak, and the court appointed three attorneys to defend him after Habre refused legal representation.

The court known as the Extraordinary African Chambers then adjourned the trial until September 7 to give the lawyers time to prepare their defence.

At the news, Habre rose and gave a clenched-fist salute and V-for-victory sign to his supporters, who shouted "Allah Akbar" (God is greatest).

Habre -- backed during his presidency by France and the United States as a bulwark against Libya's Moamer Kadhafi -- is on trial over actions under his regime from 1982 until he was ousted in 1990.

Rights groups say 40,000 Chadians were killed under a regime of brutal repression of opponents and rival ethnic groups Habre perceived as a threat to his grip on the Sahel nation.

He risks a sentence of at least 30 years in prison.

- 'Long march to justice' -

Presiding judge Gberdao Gustave Kam said the appointed lawyers had a duty to "safeguard the interests of Hissene Habre, even against his wishes".

"We want a fair trial," he added.

But the delay raised concerns among those representing civil parties in the case, with French lawyer William Bourdon warning that it could enable Habre to "sabotage and paralyse" the trial.

Reed Brody of Human Rights Watch said victims were dismayed by the adjournment but that it was only a small setback in the 25-year fight for justice.

"The victims are of course very disappointed in the adjournment but they have been fighting to bring this case to court for 25 years, and 45 more days will not change anything in their long march towards justice," said Brody, who has been working with Habre's victims since 1999.

"Although Hissene Habre's government sent thousands of people to prison without a trial or even a lawyer, it is only proper for a trial held in the name of justice that Habre himself be defended as best as possible."

Habre's personal lawyer Francois Serres dismissed the appointment of the lawyers and the adjournment as merely an effort by the court to try to "lend credibility to the judicial system".

Security was tightened for Tuesday's hearing after some rowdy Habre supporters chanted slogans against the court on Monday before being removed.

Habre was overthrown by rebel troops in Chad in December 1990 and fled to Senegal, where he was arrested in June 2013 and has since been in custody.

Delayed for years by Senegal, where Habre has lived since fleeing Chad, the trial sets an historic precedent as until now African leaders accused of atrocities have been tried in international courts.

The Extraordinary African Chambers -- set up under an agreement between Dakar and the African Union - indicted Habre in July 2013 and investigators spent 19 months interviewing some 2,500 witnesses.

Around 100 witnesses are expected to testify during the trial, although 4,000 people have been registered as victims in the case.

The United States on Monday welcomed the start of the trial as "an important step toward justice" for those who suffered under his iron-fisted rule.