A three-day protest by magistrates over the assassination of a public prosecutor in Chad has turned into an indefinite strike.
The assassination of Oum-Hadjer in the centre of the country on Wednesday 24 June 2021 by a citizen triggered the anger of judicial officials.
The judges, outraged by the “despicable act,” have stayed away from courtrooms and are demanding more security in the exercise of their duties.
“In Chad, when a trial is held, we believe that it is not the law that should be attacked, nevertheless, the judge. We have drawn the government’s attention to these phenomena. We have asked for security officers to be put in all the jurisdictions of the country to ensure the security of the courts. The courts are not protected,” Djonga Arafi, the secretary general of the Chadian Magistrates’ Union lamented.
In their grievances, the judges demand profound changes in the country’s senior administration.
At the end of a stormy general assembly on Monday 28 June, they denounced the attitude of politicians who have been known to “insult” magistrates without ever having been bothered.
The Magistrates’ Union said “it is out of the question to resume work until every judge has been equipped with a handgun and the courts have been reinforced by well-equipped men in arms.”
This indefinite strike has crippled the judicial sector.
CD/fss/as/APA