Chad rejects U.S. accusations in demonstrator killing incident

YAOUNDE, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Chad rebuked the United States on Tuesday for asserting that there was a lack of accountability for crimes committed during a violent protest in the Central African nation in October of last year, during which four demonstrators were killed outside the U.S. Embassy in the capital of N'Djamena.

Last week, the U.S. Department of State said there was no evidence that the Chadian government was taking action to investigate or bring the perpetrators to justice, emphasizing the need for "full investigations."

In a statement, Chad's Ministry of Justice and Human Rights said the allegations were biased. "Beyond the statements from the State Department, Chad has no lessons to learn from the United States, which does not serve as a model in handling legal cases and respecting human rights," Abakar Guiagoussou, the ministry's spokesperson, said in the statement.

"The ministry would like to reaffirm that, in complete sovereignty and in accordance with both national and international legislation, it has taken the initiative to shed light on these events in full transparency," the statement said.

According to the statement, Chad had already arrested, tried and sentenced soldiers and civilians who participated in the "tragic" event and were subsequently pardoned by the president.