Chad: UN Human Rights Committee Urges the State to Refrain from Any Initiative to Reintroduce the Death Penalty

During the dialogue, and drawing in particular on information from a joint report by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the Chadian League for Human Rights (LTDH), the Committee expressed serious concerns about the situation of civil and political rights in Chad, including the possibility of reintroducing the death penalty. In response, the delegation stated that the government does not intend to reinstate capital punishment, but rather aims to strengthen its law enforcement and security capacities. It also recalled that, in the context of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Chad reaffirmed in its pledge to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights its commitment to abolishing the death penalty and protecting the right to life, thereby reinforcing its abolitionist position.

The experts also raised concerns about the continued shortcomings in ensuring full reparations for victims of the Hissène Habré regime, as well as the need to implement comprehensive transitional justice measures. They further stressed that the adoption of an amnesty law in November 2023, covering the violent repression of the 20 October 2022 protests, risks undermining victims’ access to justice, in violation of the provisions of the ICCPR.

The delegation was also questioned about the judicial powers of the National State Security Agency (ANSE), in light of numerous reported cases of arrests and incommunicado detention of civilians. In response, it stated that ANSE is authorised to arrest individuals considered to threaten State security, without clarifying the legal basis for such powers. The Committee also addressed the situation of political opponents, human rights defenders and journalists, stressing the importance of ensuring their protection and a safe environment for their work. It noted that pressure, intimidation and threats against civil society actors undermine the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. In this context, the cases of Nguebla Makaïla and Charfardine Galmaye Saleh, critics of the current government who were stripped of their nationality in September 2025, were specifically raised.

In its concluding observations, the Committee called on the State party to :

• Refrain from any initiative to reintroduce the death penalty and ratify the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, aiming at its abolition;

• Undertake structural reforms to combat impunity and step up efforts in the field of transitional justice;

• Bring the National Human Rights Commission into compliance with the Paris Principles and provide it with sufficient human and financial resources to carry out its mandate effectively and independently.

The State party is requested to provide, by 19 March 2029, information on the implementation of these recommendations.

OMCT and LTDH welcome the Committee’s recommendations and express their full support for their implementation. They reaffirm their readiness to engage in constructive dialogue with the Chadian authorities and to work closely with all stakeholders to support efforts aimed at ensuring the effective protection of civil and political rights in Chad. They also call on Ms Alixe Naïmbaye, Chad’s new Minister of Justice since 1 April 2026, to uphold Chad’s commitment to the abolition of the death penalty, in line with the progress made and the international commitments undertaken by the State in support of the right to life.