An internationally backed court in the Central African Republic issued an international arrest warrant on April 30 for the country’s exiled former President François Bozizé for human rights abuses from 2009 to 2013, a spokesperson said.
The Special Criminal Court was set up in the capital, Bangui, to try war crimes and other human rights abuses committed during the coups and violence that the country has experienced since 2003.
Court spokesperson Gervais Bodagy Laoulé said the warrant was for crimes committed under Bozizé's leadership in a civilian prison and at a military training center in the city of Bossembélém where many people were tortured and killed.
The warrant covers crimes from 2009 to 2013 by the presidential guard and other security forces. The court was created in 2015, but took several years to begin operating. Human Rights Watch has described its creation as a landmark to advance justice for victims of serious crimes.
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