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UN-backed court opens trial of former Central African Republic president Bozizé
Prosecutors say the 79-year-old ex-president is responsible for abuses by his security forces, including murder, torture and rape.
- On Tuesday, the United Nations-backed Special Criminal Court opened the trial of former President François Bozizé in Bangui, charging him in absentia with crimes against humanity committed between 2009 and 2013.
- Prosecutors allege Bozizé bears command responsibility for abuses at a prison and military training center in Bossembélé, about 150 kilometers from Bangui, where his Presidential Guard allegedly committed murder, torture, and rape.
- Detained in the Central African Republic, three former senior military officers—Eugène Barret Ngaikosset, Vianney Semndiro, and Firmin Junior Danboy—face trial alongside the former president on charges including murder and enforced disappearance.
- Victim Maximin Lin Crozon Cazin expressed disappointment that Bozizé "does not have the courage to face justice in his own country," while Amnesty International's Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Marceau Sivieude, praised the court's "significant willingness" to fight impunity.
- Despite a 2024 international arrest warrant, Bozizé remains in exile in Guinea-Bissau, which has refused extradition, leaving the SCC to pursue its sixth trial amid uncertainty about the court's sustainability beyond 2028.
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The Special Criminal Court began in Bangui the trial of the former President, exiled in Guinea-Bissau. Alleged crimes include murder, torture and violations between 2009 and 2013.
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources18
Leaning Left10Leaning Right3Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution59% Left
Bias Distribution
- 59% of the sources lean Left
59% Left
L 59%
C 23%
R 18%
Factuality
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