Government responds to Amnesty International

Chad's minister of communication, Moktar Wawa Dahab, denied a recent report by Amnesty International in which the human rights organisation accused the government of perpetuating human rights violations begun under the regime of ex-president Hissene Habre. Dahad, who is also the government spokesman, told IRIN that "one should not confuse the regimes of Habre and [current President] Deby", because, "it is like night and day."

Dahad said the country has made positive strides in human rights, press freedom, adding that the country has no specialised detention centres for opponents of the government. "We've made lots of progress with regard to democracy since Deby took power in 1990" Dahab said, in contrast to Habre's regime which he described as "one of the most abject dictatorships in the world".

The report, which was released on Tuesday, focused on the extradition of Habre so that he could stand trial. Habre, exiled in Senegal since 1990, has been accused of torture, killings and extrajudicial executions during his eight-year rule by a collective of Chadian victims. Habre ruled Chad from 1982 to 1990.