[JURIST] UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay [official profile] expressed support [UN News Centre report] Tuesday for Senegal’s decision not to send former dictator Hissene Habre [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] back to Chad, where he is wanted for war crimes. She stressed, though, that Habre should not be expected to live with impunity in Senegal, which reversed its decision [JURIST report] Sunday to send Habre back to Chad after Pillay warned he could be tortured and would not receive a fair trial. On Senegal’s reversal, Rupert Colville, Pillay’s spokesperson, said [press release]:

It is important that rapid and concrete progress is made by Senegal to prosecute or extradite Habre to a country willing to conduct a fair trial. This has been High Commissioner’s position all along. It is also the position of the African Union, as well of much of the rest of the international community; It is a violation of international law to shelter a person who has committed torture or other crimes against humanity, without prosecuting or extraditing him.

Colville also mentioned that Belgium is the only country willing to try Habre as he is also wanted there under a universal jurisdiction law that allows Belgian courts to hear cases over violations of international law.

Senegal suspended plans to extradite late Sunday [AFP report] just hours before Habre was set to board a plane. The decision came after Pillay issued a plea [JURIST report] not to return Habre to Chad, which has already sentenced him to death in absentia. Senegal had announced Friday it was deporting Habre to Chad [JURIST report] to face charges. However, Pillay warned [press release] that Habre would not receive a fair trial and that extradition may violate international law. Habre has been accused of involvement in the murder or torture of more than 40,000 political opponents during his rule from 1982 to 1990. He later fled to Senegal after being removed from power in 1990.