Criminal
Code pénal with the death penalty abolished in 2004 and universal jurisdiction exercised
Senegal abolished the death penalty in 2004. It hosted the Extraordinary African Chambers, which convicted Chad's Hissène Habré of crimes against humanity in 2016 — the first trial of a former African head of state by another African state's courts.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Tribunal de grande instance and Chambre criminelle; the Extraordinary African Chambers were a special AU-mandated jurisdiction.
- Deadline — Garde à vue: 48 hours, extendable once by the procureur
- Deadline — Prescription: 10 years for crimes, 3 years for délits
Governing law
- Code pénalas amended by Loi n° 2004-38 abolishing the death penalty
- Code de procédure pénale
- Loi n° 2007-05 modifiant le Code de procédure pénaleuniversal jurisdiction
In practice
The Habré trial is Senegal's principal contribution to international criminal law. After the ICJ held in Belgium v Senegal that Senegal was obliged to prosecute or extradite, Senegal amended its law and, under an African Union mandate, created the Extraordinary African Chambers within its own courts. Habré was convicted in 2016 and the conviction upheld on appeal in 2017.