Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2003 - Chad

Dismissal of Mr. Suleymane Guengueng²⁶

On 22nd January 2003, Mr. Suleymane Guengueng, founder of the Chadian Association of victims of Political Crimes and Repression (Association des Victimes de Crimes et de Répression Politique – AVCRP), received a letter informing him he was dismissed from his position of information officer at the Lake Chad Basin Commission (Commission du bassin du lac Tchad – CBLT).

Mr. Guengueng had already been suspended from his duties for thirty days in March 2002. His superiors had demanded that he ceases his AVCRP activities under threat of more severe disciplinary sanctions. They had in particular criticised his political commitments which they considered to be incompatible with his employment as an international civil servant. Mr. Guengueng had received the support of the international community to put an end to his suspension.

His dismissal had been decided on 14th November 2002 but he was only notified two months later, a few days after the World Bank had agreed to make a new contribution of 2.9 million US $ to the CBLT.

Mr. Guengueng is heavily involved, together with other victims of Mr. Hissène Habré regime, in prosecution of the former dictator, who currently lives in exile in Senegal. Proceedings to rehabilitate him had not succeeded by the end of 2003.

Arrest of Mr. Luc Maokarem Beoudou²⁷

Mr. Luc Maokarem Beoudou, brother of Mr. Marc Mbaiguedem Beoudou, chairman of the Christians' Action Against Torture (Action des chrétiens contre la torture – ACAT-Chad), disappeared after his arrest on 21st January 2003 in Moundou, in the south of the country.

Mr. Luc Beoudou was accused of publishing an article in the Chadian newspaper Le Temps, accusing a soldier working for the current regime of the robbery and murder of a businessman. Mr. Marc Beoudou, president of ACAT-Chad, had been responsible for the enquiry and for drafting the article in the name of the association. Following publication of the article Mr. Marc Beoudou had been actively pursued by the authorities, who had signed a warrant for his execution; he was obliged to flee the country. Mr. Marc Beoudou, who is currently in exile in Burkina Faso, was in Cameroon at the time of his brother's arrest. The resemblance between the two brothers apparently was the cause of Mr. Luc Beoudou's arrest.

Mr. Luc Beoudou was only released on 2nd March without ever having been able to meet with a lawyer or to inform his family of his whereabouts. He had to be hospitalised as the result of the ill-treatments he was subjected to during his detention.

His relatives have had no news of Mr. Luc Beoudou since 25th March 2003.

An NGOs radio station closed down²⁸

The radio station FM Liberté (Freedom FM) was closed down on 21st October 2003 by decree of the ministry of Public Security and Immigration. Its closure followed a broadcast on 14th October that had included criticism of Mr. Idriss Deby, the President of the Republic of Chad.

However, this decree is not based on any communications law. It refers mainly to "the illegal operation of radio FM Liberté", whose programmes have been suspended on several occasions in recent months. In fact the ministry of Public Security and Immigration has no authority to take such a decision, which falls within the competence of the High council of communications. The latter was not consulted regarding this matter. If the decision to close down a radio station may be taken by the ministry when state security is under threat, the decree in fact only refers to its "illegal operation and deviant behaviour" and gives no evidence of a threat to public security.

FM Liberté was created by independent NGOs for the defence of human rights, for which it became the principal communications link in Chad. The radio station had an audience of nearly 2 million listeners throughout the country. On 17th December 2003, a decree of the minister of Public Security and Immigration, Mr. Abdramane Moussa., authorised the station to go back on air.

Impunity for the aggressors of Mrs. Jacqueline Moudeïna²⁹

On 11th November 2003 the N'Djamena tribunal correctionnel decided to release the three aggressors of Mrs. Jacqueline Moudeïna. Policemen Mr. Mahamat Wakaye, Mr. Mahamat Idriss and Mr. Taher Babouri were accused of illegal violence and grievous bodily harm.

On 11th June 2001, during a peaceful women's march protesting against electoral fraud observed during the presidential election, the security forces had thrown grenades at the demonstrators. Mrs. Moudeïna was then seriously wounded. Jacqueline Moudeïna is in charge of legal matters at the Chadian Association for the Defence and Promotion of Human Rights (Association tchadienne pour la défense et la promotion des droits de l'Homme – ATPDH), a lawyer for the victims in the Hissène Habré case in Chad and in Senegal, and she received the Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders in 2002. Mrs. Moudeïna and six other women filed complaints with the N'Djaména Court on 18th March 2002.

The tribunal correctionnel followed the argument of the state prosecutor who stated that there had been no illegal act since the accused had acted according to the orders of their superior officer. The prosecutor then added, with particular cynicism, that the highest authorities of the State should be referred to in order to rule this case.

Mrs. Jacqueline Moudeïna's lawyers have decided to appeal this decision.

[Refworld note: This report as posted on the FIDH website (www.fidh.org) was in pdf format with country chapters run together by region. Footnote numbers have been retained here, so do not necessarily begin at 1.]

26. See Annual Report 2002.

27. See Open Letter to the authorities dated 13th March 2003.

28. See Urgent Appeal TCD 001/1003/OBS 056.

29. See Press Release dated 11th November 2003.