The Human Rights Actions Network
www.derechos.org/human-rights/actions/
ACTION REQUEST
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN
Case TUN 260597.3. VAW
Follow up of Case TUN 260597
Geneva, June 11 1999
The International Secretariat of OMCT has received new information on
the following situation in Tunisia.
Brief reminder of the situation
The International Secretariat was informed, by reliable sources, of the
alleged detention of Ms Rachida Ben Salem at the Ministry of Interior, in
the Centre of Tunis. Ms Rachida Ben Salem, wife of M'barek Sghair
M'Barek, is from El-Hamma (Gabes) in the South of Tunisia and had been
missing since 18 May 1997.
Ms Rachida Ben Salem, whose husband is a political refugee in the
Netherlands, has been a victim of constant harassment, since her
husband left the country in 1992.
It was believed that she tried to escape Tunisia in a bid to put an end to
her harassment. It was alleged that Ms Rachida Ben Salem and her two
children Hager (7) and Esma (5) were caught by frontier guards while
trying to reach Libya by going through the desert. The Tunisian
authorities returned the two children to the father of M'barek Sghair
M'Barek. It was alleged that the place where Ms Rachida Ben Salem was
being detained, is known as a centre where detainees are tortured.
On 9 September 1997, Ms Rachida Ben Salem was sentenced to 2 years
and three months imprisonment, two years for belonging to an
unauthorized associationthe Islamist group Al Nahda, and three months
relating to an infringement of a law on border crossing. Ms Rachida Ben
Salem denied membership of the Islamist group Al Nahda. The
information suggested that she did not have links with the Islamist group
Al Nahda, nor was the prosecution able to produce any convincing
evidence to support this charge.
Regarding the second charge, Ms Rachida Ben Salem was convicted on
the basis of her intention to leave Tunisia, given the fact that at the time
of her arrest she was still in Tunisia, quite some distance from the Libyan
border. Ms Rachida Ben Salem, intending to join her husband in Holland
who she and her children have not seen for several years, had no
passport and she had not been able to leave the country.
On 31 May, after being held at the Ministry of Interior, Ms Rachida Ben
Salem was transferred to the women's prison of Mannouba.
On 19 November 1997, the Appeal Court of Tunis increased the initial
sentence of Ms Rachida Ben Salem from 2 years and three months to 2
years and six months imprisonment.
New Information
The International Secretariat of OMCT is pleased to announce that Ms.
Ms Rachida Ben Salem was released on 3 June 1999.
According to the "Centre d'Information et de Documentation sur la
Torture CIDT-Tunisie", member of the OMCT network, after her
liberation, Ms. Ben Salem traveled to her home together with Ms. Radhia
Aouididi (they live in the same region), who was released on the same
time (see Appeal Case TUN 200397.7 VAW released today on her case).
However, it has been impossible to have any further information on her
current medical condition.
Remarks
The International Secretariat of OMCT would like to thank all the
members of the network and all other organisations and individuals for
the action undertaken following our appeals.
