Case DZA 020608_ENG
Forced disappearance/ Risk of torture
The International Secretariat of the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Algeria.
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source and Antenna International, member organisation of OMCT SOS-Torture network, about the forced disappearance of Mr. Mohamed Ben Missoum, resident of El Oued and aged 30 years old, since 12 March 2008.
According to the information received, on 12 March 2008 around 7:00pm, Mr. Mohamed Ben Missoum went to a public telephone following a phone call he had received. As he did not come back, Mr. Mohamed Ben Missoum’s wife tried to call him on his portable but to no avail. On 15 May 2008, she reported his disappearance at the police station of Guemmar, where police officers reportedly responded not to detain Mr. Mohamed Ben Missoum. According to the same information, three of his friends were arrested in Oued R’hiou, wilaya de Relizane, a few days before his disappearance.
Since 12 March 2008, Mr. Mohamed Ben Missoum’s family has no information on his whereabouts.
The International Secretariat of OMCT expresses its deep concern over the forced disappearance of Mr. Mohamed Ben Missoum and the risks of torture he faces. OMCT urges the Algerian authorities to locate him rapidly while guaranteeing his physical and psychological integrity. OMCT recalls that Algeria is a State party to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, that prohibits torture and ill treatments. Furthermore, OMCT calls on the Algerian authorities to guarantee at all times the liberty of their citizens, in conformity to article 9.1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Algeria is a party, which specifies that «no one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention ».
Please write to the authorities in Algeria urging them to:
Please also write to the embassies of Algeria in your respective country.
Geneva, 2 June 2008
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.