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Book SynopsisTo Catch a Dictator is a dramatic insider’s account of the hunt for Hissène Habré, the former despot of Chad, and his momentous trial. The human rights lawyer Reed Brody recounts how he and an international team of investigators, legal experts, and victims went on a quest for justice.
Trade ReviewFrom one of the world’s great fighters for justice, a most powerful tale of true crime that is at once gripping, forensic, and deeply human. -- Philippe Sands, author of
East West Street: On the Origins of "Genocide" and "Crimes Against Humanity"Reed Brody’s remarkable book,
To Catch a Dictator, is part political thriller, part memoir, part handbook for human rights attorneys and activists the world over. Brody describes the atrocities committed by Hissène Habré, who brutally ruled Chad from 1982 to 1990 with U.S. government support, and with profound humanity writes of the victims of Habré’s torture, who courageously persevered in their decades-long fight for justice. This compelling book serves as a guiding light to those who would pursue justice and human rights in these times that appear increasingly dark. -- Amy Goodman,
Democracy Now!A riveting account of how a band of unrelenting victims and their allies were able to turn the tables on a brutal tyrant who thought he had gotten away with his crimes. I saw the story play out in real time as Senegal organized one of the most important trials in African history, and it was every bit as extraordinary as it appears on the page. Reed Brody’s engrossing book will restore your hope in the possibility of justice. -- Aminata Touré, former prime minister of Senegal
To Catch a Dictator reads like a gripping espionage thriller, except the whole thing is about true-life crime on an international scale. This definitive account of the origins and conduct of the Hissène Habré trial abounds with dictators, spies, assassinations, and political intrigue. -- Craig Etcheson, author of
Extraordinary Justice: Law, Politics, and the Khmer Rouge Tribunals[To Catch a Dictator] makes for great reading...an engrossing blow-by-blow account...provid[ing] fascinating insights into the nature of such an international legal coalition. -- Nicolas van de Walle * Foreign Affairs *
An absorbing saga that raises a disturbing question: How do brutal fascists like Habre and other murderous heads of state evade a courtroom reckoning for so long after falling from power? -- Steve Levingston * The Washington Post *
Catchy, easy to read and inspiring...Brody is a natural storyteller. -- Mia Swart, Edge Hill University * African Yearbook *
Table of ContentsForeword, by Jacqueline Moudeïna
Prologue
Part I. Hissène Habré, an “African Pinochet”1. Souleymane Guengueng
2. Hissène Habré
3. The Pinochet Precedent
4. A President Can Be Prosecuted
Part II. Building the Case5. Politics Enters the Picture
6. The Terror Files
7. A Grenade Attack
8. Justice Comes to Chad
9. A Banana Republic?
10. Reed Brody’s Schedule
11. Habré Is Indicted, Again
12. The Caliph
13. A Senegalese Merchant
14. “Reed Bloody, a Hateful Jew”
15. Habrémania
16. Habrécadabra
17. The Trade Union of Heads of State
18. “On Behalf of Africa”
Part III. Building a Court19. Mr. X
20. La France
21. Panic in Chad
22. An “Insider” Witness
23. “Hope Is the Last Thing to Vanish”
24. A Bizarre Decision
25. Backlash
26. “A Political and Legal Soap Opera”
27. “Hurricane Mimi”
28. “President Habré Has Been Kidnapped”
29. A Trial in Chad
Part IV. The Trial of Hissène Habré30. Two Heart Attacks
31. Round One to Habré
32. “You Will Be Tried Whether You Like It or Not”
33. “From the Victims I Ask for Forgiveness”
34. Khadidja Tells Her Secret
35. The Man Who Runs Faster Than Death
36. Souleymane Testifies
37. The Verdict Is Announced
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Index
