Interview conducted by Lyndsey Unwin in September 2011


What did it mean for you be the first woman to register as a lawyer in Chad?

It was very important to me. I was among the first women to qualify for the law.  It is very difficult in a male dominated society for women to break through and it has been a real struggle.


How many other women are lawyers in Chad today?

About a dozen, it is very much a man’s world.  Women are expected to take only traditional roles in the family home and raising children.


What progress are you making with the Habré case? Are you any closer to getting his extradition to Belgium?

It is a slow process but we are making progress. We have the African Union behind us as well as the people of Chad.


Is the international community helping with the extradition process?  Are you working with colleagues in Europe?

Belgium is supportive. It is a slow process.


Could the international community do more?

Yes they could and should do more. They should put pressure on the Senegalese president to extradite Habré to Belgium where he can be put on trial for the atrocities he committed.


How are you representing the victims of Habré's dictatorship. What is the process for this?

Yes I am but it is a long process. After the coup d’état, all the prisons were opened and I began working with the survivors. However, they survived a terrible ordeal and so are very fragile. One person died last week. The judge is giving false reasons for not progressing the cases and you have to understand that many of the people who worked under Habré's regime are still in power.

I am working for the victims in an attempt to get financial compensation but also to achieve international recognition for what they suffered under this regime.


What drives you to do your work when you are facing enormous personal risk?

I have tried to conquer the fear. I no longer have the word fear in my vocabulary. It is a real struggle on a daily basis. I am working with women who can’t understand why the dreadful atrocities they experienced are not being recognised by the court. They have no patience with the system and I can understand this. This is what drives me on.

I also work with human rights organisations specifically campaigning for women’s rights and the protection of children.


How will the prize and the prize money help you continue the work defending human rights?

The protection it offers is very important to me. Receiving the Right Livelihood Award will raise my profile internationally and make it difficult for people to attack me as they have done in the past.

Radio interview in French (2007, RFI)

Interview in English, Witness Magazine 2005