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Hamma Hammami, is the director of a banned publication, Al Badil, and has been pursued by the Tunisian authorities for 29 years because of his opinions and political activities. By order of the Interior Ministry, all his works have been withdrawn from circulation and destroyed. He has been in hiding for nearly 4 years, since the Appeal Court of Tunis sentenced him to nine years and three months in August 1999 for membership of the Parti Communiste des Ouvriers Tunisiens - PCOT (Tunisian Workers' Communist Party). On January 12th, 2002 he opposed this judgement and a new trial is due to take place in Tunis on February 2nd. OMCT is deeply concerned about Hammami's physical and psychological integrity and as to whether he will receive a fair trial.

Subject: Tunisia: Case TUN 280102: Fair trial

Case TUN 280102
Fair trial

The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT
intervention in the following situation in Tunisia.

Brief description of the facts

The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Ligue
Tunisienne des Droits de l'Homme (LTDH), a member of the OMCT
network, of concerns relating to the situation of Mr. Hamma Hammami
in Tunisia.

According to the information received, 49-year old Mr. Hamma Hammami,
is the director of a banned publication, Al Badil, and has been
pursued by the Tunisian authorities for 29 years because of his
opinions and political activities. By order of the Interior Ministry,
all his works have been withdrawn from circulation and destroyed.

Mr. Hamma Hammami has been arrested and tortured on numerous
occasions during this time, and has been detained in several prisons,
in particular those in Tunis, Sousse, Sfax, Mahdia, Le Kef, Bizerte,
and spent a long period in the penal colony of Nadhour.

He has been in hiding for nearly 4 years, since the Appeal Court of
Tunis sentenced him to nine years and three months in August 1999 for
membership of the Parti Communiste des Ouvriers Tunisiens - PCOT
(Tunisian Workers' Communist Party). On January 12th, 2002 he
opposed this judgement and a new trial is due to take place in Tunis
on February 2nd.

In view of the fact that Mr. Hamma Hammami has already been subjected
to torture on numerous occasions, OMCT is deeply concerned about his
physical and psychological integrity and as to whether he will
receive a fair trial.

Action requested

We request you kindly to write to the authorities in the Republic of
Tunisia, urging them to:

i. take all necessary measures to guarantee Mr. Hamma Hammami's
physical and psychological integrity;
ii. take all necessary steps to ensure that he receives a fair trial
by a competent and impartial court;
iii. put an end to the systematic harassment to which he is being
subjected;
iv. guarantee respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms
throughout the country, according to national laws and international
standards.

Addresses

· H.E. Mr. Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, President of the Republic of
Tunisia, Fax: +216 71 742 513

· H.E. Mr. Bechir TAKKARI, Minister of Justice, Ministère de la
Justice, 31 Boulevard Bab Benat, 1006 Tunis, Tunisia, Fax: + 216 71
568 106; E-mail: [email protected]

· H.E. M. Abdallah KAABI, Minister of the Interior, Ministère de
l'Intérieur, Avenue Habib Bourguiba, 1001 Tunis, Tunisia, Fax: + 216
71 354 331/340 888; E-mail: [email protected]

· H.E. M. Slaheddine Mafoui, Minister in Charge of Human Rights,
Office of the Prime Minister, Place du Gouvernement, La Kasbah, 1006
Tunis, Tunisia, Fax: + 216 71 256 766

Please also write to the diplomatic representatives of Tunisia in
your country.

Geneva, 28 January 2002

Kindly inform us of any action you may take, mentioning the code
number of this appeal in your response.Organisation Mondiale Contre
la Torture (OMCT)
World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT)
Organización Mundial Contra la Tortura (OMCT)
8 rue du Vieux-Billard
Case postale 21
CH-1211 Geneve 8
Suisse/Switzerland
Tel. : 0041 22 809 49 39
Fax : 0041 22 809 49 29
E-mail : [email protected]
http://www.omct.org