Already 215 accreditation requests for journalists to the trial of Hissène Habré which starts on 20^th July 2015 in Dakar, Senegal. The last count was done this 14^th July by the Extraordinary African Courts (CAE), jurisdiction set up for the trial of the previous Chadian head of state for crimes against humanity, war crimes and torture acts.

The Radiodiffusion télévision sénégalaise (RTS – Senegal public broadcaster) won the exclusive rights for the recording of the trial which proceedings will be broadcasted free of charge. “RTS will record the trial but will also broadcast live on satellite, to all media who will request it”, explained the coordinator of the communication unit of CAE, Marcel Mendy.

He declared that almost all Senegalese media, major television channels and international press agencies requested from the CAE the authorisation to cover the Hissène Habré trial. Chad alone will be represented by about 30 journalists from the public and private media. Accreditation requests were also made by film and documentary directors and producers.

According to Mr Mendy, all the cameras and photo cameras will be allowed to film the opening session of the trial. “After this, no other camera, no other photo camera will be allowed in the courtroom, other than the RTS ones”, he further clarified, explaining that the security will not allow so many devices during the trial scheduled to take place in a courtroom of 1500 places of the Dakar Courthouse. “This type of trial requires a calm atmosphere. All proceedings must take place in calm”, then expounded Marcel Mendy.

Moreover, the direct broadcasting will not be possible. The contents will be emitted with a delay of 30 minutes. The trial will also be accessible for viewing via Internet on the CAE website.

Marcel Mendy assured that all arrangements have been made to allow “the best coverage possible” of the trial. “We have a press room with all the necessary means (worktables, computers, Internet, Wi-Fi, streaming”, he said.