According to Nodjitoloum Salomon, Group of Human Rights Associations of Chad chairperson, 'It's inconceivable that 44 people can die under such mysterious circumstances in a government prison.'
These deaths highlight the false dichotomy between the state's fight against terrorism and its obligation to respect human rights and the rule of law.
The United Nations' Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary and arbitrary detentions Christof Heyns issued a statement saying that, 'The death penalty is an extreme form of punishment and, if used at all, should only be imposed after a fair trial that respects the most stringent due process guarantees as stipulated in international human rights law.'
Criminal and other justice systems founded on the respect for human rights and the rule of law should complement military responses to terrorism.
But in Chad's case, the death of 44 suspects in prison while awaiting trial does not inspire confidence in the complementary nature of the criminal justice system.
