Take Action : Stop Deportation of Ammar al-Hanchy
Source : Helptheprisoners.org
Date : 2nd January 2010
Background
In less than two weeks time, January 15th 2010, an interim decision is expected from the European court of Human rights in Strasbourg, which if unfavourable means that Ammar Al-Hancy will be deported to Tunisia, separated from his family, and tortured in a hell-hole of a prison until he dies. This is not fiction, but this is the reality that awaits him. Descriptions of Tunisia from Human rights organisations include the following :-
“The most commonly reported methods of torture are beatings on the body, especially the soles of the feet; suspension by the ankles or in contorted positions; electric shocks; and burning with cigarettes. There are also reports of mock executions, sexual abuse, including rape with bottles and sticks, and threats of sexual abuse of female relatives.”
(Amnesty International Report, 2008)
Individuals deported from both Bosnia and Italy in the past have faced exactly those punishments as described by Amnesty and other organisations. Tunisia’s treatment of political prisoners is such that even George Bush’s administration refused to send one inmate there from Guantanamo, instead being forced due to international pressure to deport these individuals to torture via Italy. This perhaps more than any other example gives an indiciation of just how severe this situation is.
His wife has described their fear as follows :-
“I am sure that he can no longer endure this stress and he suffered such irreparable harm. From that day (since the last injunction ), me and my family cannot sleep nor eat properly, and life in a state of fear and trepidation. My sons have stopped smiling, they walk around constantly with tissues in their trembling hands to dry tears.”
Of course, should bosnia pursue this course of action they would also be acting outside the law. Article three of the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Bosnia-Herzogovina is a party, states “No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.”
This individuals only crime appears to have been to have come to support charities in Bosnia-Herzogovina in the civil war of the 1990s, at a time when the rest of the world had abandoned them and expected the muslim population to perish. It is only through brothers like this that BiH even has a government, and it is saddening to see that this is how they repay Ammar and others like him.
Actions required
This brothers deportation to Tunisia is imminent. We ask everyone to :-
a. Contact government departments in Bosnia
b. Contact your MEP or other minister responsible for European affairs
c. Contact the European court, outlining the danger this person will face
A sample letter is attached, together with key contacts.
Key Contacts
Valentin Inzko
EU Special Representative in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Emerika Bluma 1
71000 Sarajevo
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Fax: 011 387 33 283 501
Safet Halilovi
Minister of Human Rights and Refugees
Trg BiH 1
71 000 Sarajevo,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Fax:+387 33 206 140
Email: kabmin@mhrr.gov.ba
Tarik Sadovi?
Minister of Security of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Trg BiH broj 1
71 000 Sarajevo,
BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Fax: 011 387 33 213 628
European Court of Human Rights
Council of Europe
67075 Strasbourg – Cedex
France
Tel.: + 33 (0)3 88 41 20 18
Fax: + 33 (0)3 88 41 27 30
Sample Letter
Dear (Name),
I am writing to you concerning the case of Ammar al-Hanchy, who is due to be deported to Tunisia from Bosnia-Herzogovina on the 15th January should his interim appeal fail from the European court.
If he is deported, he will face certain torture. This is confirmed by many human rights groups, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. Amnesty just last year in a report stated :-
“The most commonly reported methods of torture are beatings on the body, especially the soles of the feet; suspension by the ankles or in contorted positions; electric shocks; and burning with cigarettes. There are also reports of mock executions, sexual abuse, including rape with bottles and sticks, and threats of sexual abuse of female relatives.”
(Amnesty International Report, 2008)
Individuals already sent back have faced torture there and are being held in conditions far below international standards even for animals. The European Court has also condemned Tunisia unreservedly in the past for their violations of human rights, and have identified in previous cases ( Saadi vs Italy ), that Tunisia’s diplomatic assurances should not be relied upon.
I would argue that the “risk” of torture in Tunisia is a certainty. Every individual so far sent there has faced unspeakable torture, inhuman cellular confinement and complete isolation from their family. I would also say that it is a certainty that should Ammar be sent there, he will face the same.
Article three of the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Bosnia-Herzogovina is a party, states “No one shall be subjected to torture or to inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” The European Court also has an obligation in the interests of human rights and justice to halt this expulsion.
I urge you to cease proceedings to deport Ammar Al-Hanchy and the other Bosnian detainees, and to allow both him and them to be reunited with their families in freedom.
Regards,
