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International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights UNITED NATIONS CCPR International covenant Distr. on civil and RESTRICTED* political rights CCPR/C/89/D/1172/2003 21 June 2007 ENGLISH Original: FRENCH HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE Eighty-ninth session 12-30 March 2007 VIEWS Communication No. 1172/2003 Submitted by: Salim Abbassi (represented by Mr. Rachid Mesli) Alleged victim: Abbassi Madani (his father) State party: Algeria Date of communication: 31 March 2003 (initial submission) Documentation references: Special Rapporteur’s rule 97 decision, transmitted to the State party on 12 May 2003 (not issued in document form) Date of adoption of Views: 28 March 2007 Subject matter: Arbitrary detention, house arrest, fair trial, freedom of expression Procedural issue: Power of attorney * Made public by decision of the Human Rights Committee. GE.07-42526 (E) 060707 100707 CCPR/C/89/D/1172/2003 page 2 Substantive issues: Right to liberty and security of person; arbitrary arrest and detention; right to liberty of movement; right to a fair trial; right to a competent, independent and impartial tribunal; right to freedom of expression Articles of the Covenant: 9, 12, 14 and 19 Articles of the Optional Protocol: ... On 28 March 2007, the Human Rights Committee adopted the annexed draft as its Views under article 5, paragraph 4, of the Optional Protocol in respect of communication No. 1172/2003. [ANNEX] CCPR/C/89/D/1172/2003 page 3 Annex VIEWS OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE UNDER ARTICLE 5, PARAGRAPH 4, OF THE OPTIONAL PROTOCOL TO THE INTERNATIONAL COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS Eighty-ninth session concerning Communication No. 1172/2003* Submitted by: Salim Abbassi (represented by Mr. Rachid Mesli) Alleged victim: Abbassi Madani (his father) State party: Algeria Date of communication: 31 March 2003 (initial submission) The Human Rights Committee, established under article 28 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Meeting on 28 March 2007, Having concluded its consideration of communication No. 1172/2003, submitted to the Human Rights Committee by Salim Abbassi on behalf of Mr. Abbassi Madani (his father) under the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Having taken into account all written information made available to it by the author of the communication and the State party, Adopts the following: * The following members of the Committee participated in the examination of the present communication: Mr. Abdelfattah Amor, Mr. Prafullachandra Natwarlal Bhagwati, Ms. Christine Chanet, Mr. Maurice Glèlè Ahanhanzo, Mr. Yuji Iwasawa, Mr. Edwin Johnson, Mr. Ahmed Tawfik Khalil, Ms. Zonke Zanele Majodina, Ms. Iulia Antoanella Motoc, Mr. Michael O’Flaherty, Ms. Elisabeth Palm, Mr. José Luis Pérez Sanchez-Cerro, Mr. Rafael Rivas Posada, Sir Nigel Rodley and Mr. Ivan Shearer. Individual opinions signed by Committee members Mr. Abdelfattah Amor and Mr. Ahmed Tawfik Khalil are appended to the present document. CCPR/C/89/D/1172/2003 page 4 Views under article 5, paragraph 4, of the Optional Protocol 1. The author of the communication, dated 31 March 2003, is Salim Abbassi, born on 23 April 1967 in Algiers, who is submitting the communication on behalf of his father, Mr. Abbassi Madani, an Algerian citizen, born on 28 February 1931, in Sidi Okba (Biskra). The author states that his father is the victim of violations by Algeria of articles 9, 12, 14, 19, 20 and 21 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (the Covenant). He is represented by Mr. Rachid Mesli. The Covenant and the Optional Protocol entered into force for the State party on 12 December 1989. The facts as submitted by the author 2.1 Abbassi Madani is one of the founding members and, at the time of the submission of the communication, president of the Front Islamique du Salut (Islamic Salvation Front) (FIS),1 an Algerian political party approved by the State party as of 12 September 1989 following the introduction of political pluralism. With a view to forthcoming elections and in the wake of gains made by FIS during the local elections of 1990, the Algerian Government had to push through a new electoral law, which was unanimously condemned by all Algerian opposition parties. Protesting against this law, FIS organized a general strike along with peaceful sit-ins in public squares. After a few days of strikes and peaceful marches, the parties agreed to end the protest movement in exchange for a review of the electoral law in the near future. Despite this agreement, on 3 June 1991, the head of Government was requested to resign and public squares were stormed by the Algerian army. 2.2 On 30 June 1991, Abbassi Madani was arrested at his party’s headquarters by the military police and on 2 July 1991 was brought before the investigating judge of the military court, accused of “jeopardizing State security and the smooth operation of the national economy”. In particular, he was reproached for having organized a strike, which the prosecution described as subversive, since it had allegedly done serious harm to the national economy. The lawyers appointed to defend Abbassi Madani challenged the grounds for his prosecution before the military court, and the lawfulness of the investigation conducted by a military judge under the authority of the public prosecutor’s office. According to the defence, the court had been established in order to remove leaders of the main opposition party from the political scene, and it was not competent to hear the case, it could only adjudicate on offences under criminal law and the Code of Military Justice committed by members of the armed forces in the performance of their duties. The competence of the military court to deal with political offences under legislation dating from 1963 had been revoked with the establishment of the National Security Court in 1971. Since the latter had been abolished following the introduction of political pluralism in 1989, the general rule of competence should therefore apply. 2.3 FIS won the first round of general elections on 26 December 1991, and the day after the official results were released, the military prosecutor was to inform defence lawyers of his intention to end the proceedings against Abbassi Madani. On 12 January 1992, however, the 1 FIS was disbanded in 1992, as the author confirms (see paragraph 2.5). CCPR/C/89/D/1172/2003 page 5 President of the Republic “resigned”, a state of emergency was declared, the general elections were cancelled and so-called “administrative internment camps” were opened in southern Algeria. On 15 July 1992, the Blida military court sentenced Abbassi Madani in absentia to 12 years’ rigorous imprisonment. The application for judicial review of this decision was rejected by the Supreme Court on 15 February 1993, thereby making the conviction final. 2.4 During his detention in Blida military prison, Abbassi Madani was, according to the author, subjected to ill-treatment on numerous occasions, in particular for having claimed political prisoner status and the same treatment as other prisoners. He was subjected to particularly severe treatment, despite his perilous state of health, spending a very long period of time in solitary confinement and being barred from receiving visits from his lawyers and family. 2.5 Following negotiations with the military authorities in June 1995, he was transferred to a residence normally used for dignitaries visiting Algeria. He was returned to the Blida military prison2 for having refused to concede to the demands of army representatives, in particular that he should renounce his political rights. He was then detained in particularly harsh conditions3 for the following two years until his release on 15 July 1997, on one condition “that he abide by the laws in force if he wished to leave the country”. Upon his release, he did not resume his political activity as president of FIS, since the party had been banned in 1992. 2.6 Initially, the authorities tried to restrict Abbassi Madani’s liberty of movement, considering any peaceful demonstration of support for him a threat to public order. Subsequently, the Minister of the Interior launched a “procedure” to place him under house arrest after he had been interviewed by a foreign journalist and had sent a letter to the Secretary-General of the United Nations4 in which he expressed his willingness to help seek a peaceful solution to the Algerian crisis. On 1 September 1997, members of the military police informed him orally that he was under house arrest and forbidden to leave his apartment in Algiers. He was also informed that he was forbidden to make statements or express any opinion “failing which he would return to prison”. He was denied all means of communicating with the outside world: his building was guarded around the clock by the military police, who prevented anyone, except members of his immediate family, from visiting him. He was not allowed to contact a lawyer or to lodge any appeal against the decision to place him under house arrest, which was never transmitted to him in writing. 2.7 On 16 January 2001, a communication was submitted to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of Mr. Madani. On 3 December 2001, the Working Group rendered its Opinion according to which his deprivation of liberty was arbitrary and contrary to articles 9 and 14 of the Covenant. The Working Group requested the State party “to take the necessary 2 Exact date not provided. 3 Conditions not explained. 4 Exact date not provided. CCPR/C/89/D/1172/2003 page 6 steps to remedy the situation and to bring it into conformity with the standards and principles set forth in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights”.5 No steps were taken by the State party.
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