Rose Lokissim
Rose Lokissim | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | circa 1955 |
| Died | May 15, 1986 Chad |
| Cause of death | Execution |
| Resting place | Mass grave[1] |
| Occupation | Soldier |
Rose Lokissim (born c. 1955 – May 15, 1986) was one of the first elite soldiers from Chad. She fought against Hissène Habré's dictatorship in the 1980s.[1]
She was arrested by the secret police force known as the Documentation and Security Directorate (DDS) while smuggling documents to give to rebel forces who opposed Habre. She was brought to the notorious prison known as Les Locaux. In 1984 she was taken to cell "C". This windowless and putrid room was called the "cell of death" because each day prisoners died there. She was initially put in a men's cell. Then they put her with women for a short time, but then worried about her escaping, returned her to the men's cell. She remained there for 8 months. When she returned to the women's cell, she reportedly was extremely dirty, smelled, was covered with lice, and had matted hair.[2] During her time at Les Locaux, she helped smuggle letters of other prisoners out to their families. She was tortured and ultimately executed.
Documents recovered from abandoned DDS offices provided information about her last interrogation held on May 15, 1986. Her captors said that Lokissim stated that "even if she dies in prison, she doesn't regret it, because Chad will thank her and history will talk about her". She was executed that day. She was 33 years old at the time.
Lokissim is the subject of the 2015 documentary film titled Talking about Rose, directed by Isabel Coixet.
References
- ^ a b "Talking about Rose". aljazeera.com.
- ^ ""Africa's Pinochet": Former U.S.-Backed Chadian Dictator Hissène Habré Faces War Crimes Trial". DemocracyNow!. July 21, 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
External links
- "Talking About Rose, Prisoner of Hissène Habré, English subtitles" (in French). Miss Wasabi Films. May 20, 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2015.