Tunisian Walid Romdhani was released on 20 January. His arrest was believed to be linked to his work to expose the torture and other ill-treatment of his imprisoned brother, Ramzi Romdhani.

Walid Romdhani was arrested at 11pm on 18 January at his home by eight Department of State Security (DSS) officers and detained incommunicado until his release on 20 January. He was believed to be held incommunicado at the Department of State Security of the Ministry of Interior. No further information is available.

His arrest was believed to be linked to his work to expose the torture and other ill-treatment of his imprisoned brother, Ramzi Romdhani, including his contacts with human rights lawyers and local and international human rights organizations.

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Walid Romdhani's story

Walid Romdhani was arrested at 11pm on 18 January at his home in the city of El Mourouj, close to Tunis, by eight DSS officers. His family, who were present, reported that no arrest warrant was shown. Six of the DSS officers then searched all the rooms of the house, confiscating documents, CDs and a computer.

Walid Romdhani was detained incommunicado, and his relatives were not informed of his whereabouts.

Walid Romdhani’s arrest is believed to be linked to his work to expose the torture and other ill-treatment of his imprisoned brother, Ramzi Romdhani. On the day he was arrested, Walid Romdhani had met with his brother’s lawyer to discuss filing a legal complaint about the torture his brother allegedly suffered on 24 and 25 December 2009. Since his brother told him of his torture and ill-treatment in April 2009, Walid Romdhani has been in contact with human rights lawyers, and local and international human rights organizations, including Amnesty International. Walid Romdhani has reported that DSS officers previously threatened him with the loss of his job, and arrest and prosecution on false charges, in an attempt to dissuade him from reporting the torture and ill-treatment of his brother to human rights organizations and filing complaints.

Background to Tunisia and human rights

Amnesty International has documented many cases of uncharged detainees held by the DSS in the Ministry of Interior in prolonged incommunicado detention, lasting weeks or months, during which the detention is not acknowledged or the fate or whereabouts of the detainee is concealed, leaving the detainee outside the protection of the law, a situation that amounts to enforced disappearance.

Amnesty International has received numerous reports of torture and other ill-treatment by the Tunisian security forces, in particular by the DSS. In virtually all cases, allegations of torture are not investigated and the perpetrators are not brought to justice. Individuals are most at risk of torture when held incommunicado. 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.

As a state party to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, Tunisia is under an obligation to prevent torture and to “ensure that its competent authorities proceed to a prompt and impartial investigation, wherever there is reasonable ground to believe that an act of torture has been committed in any territory under its jurisdiction”.

Tunisian anti-terrorism law has been repeatedly criticized by UN human rights bodies and local and international human rights organizations as overly general and broad, and could be used as a repressive measure to curtail legitimate dissent. Similar concerns were reiterated by the UN Human Right Committee in March 2008 in its concluding observations regarding Tunisia.