Chad: Harassment of Human rights activist

URGENT APPEAL - THE OBSERVATORY

TCD 001 / 9803 / OBS 021
Harassment / Death threats / Ill treatment
CHAD
27 March 1998

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint
programme of FIDH and OMCT request your urgent intervention in Chad.

Brief description of the situation:

The Observatory has been informed that during the night of Sunday 22nd
of March Mr  Dobian Assingar, a Human rights activist (known for his
role in the peace accords between the armed opposition group known as
the  "Forces armées pour la République fédérale" (FARF) and the
authorities of Chad) has been forced, with his family, to leave his
home after members of the military broke down the entrance to his
house.

Mr. Dobian Assingar  was previously the object of telephoned death
threats following an appeal launched by Human rights groups to protest
the civilian massacres by both the FARF and the Security Forces. Over
the course of the last six months the security forces of Chad have
executed, without trial, many tens of civilians in the south of the
country. These massacres and other violations including arbitrary
detention and torture have been perpetrated by the security forces in
revenge for  actions taken by the FARF, including the taking of French
hostages last February.

Since  September of 1997, Human rights activists and some journalists
have been subjected to threats from the security forces. On the 25th
September 1997, Mr Sosthène Ngargoune, President the Chadian Union of
Journalists was subjected to a serious beating by members of the
security forces during an interview that he was conducting in the
Police Station of Moundou. They threatened him and another Human
rights activist,  Mr. Julien Beassembda, with death

Given the deteriorating situation, several human rights organisations
from Chad formed a collective to denounce and condemn the violence.
Following the action,  the authorities accused the organisations of
calling for insurrection, and have subsequently  suspended all the
groups in the collective.

The Observatory unconditionally condemns the threats, violence,  ill
treatment, and of all human rights defenders and considers that these
actions violate international instruments that guarantee freedom of
action for Human rights defenders  and human rights generally.

Actions requested:
Please write to the authorities requesting that they:

 i.-	guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of Mr. Dobian
 Assingar, and all other persons who act in favour of Human rights and
 fundamental freedoms in Chad;

ii.-	ensure that an exhaustive impartial inquiry is launched in order
to identify those responsible for gross violations against Human
rights defenders and apply the appropriate legal sanctions;

iii.-	annul the decision to suspend the Human rights organisations who
are acting to promote Human rights and fundamental freedoms in the
country, in conformity with international instruments relating to
Human rights and notably the Universal Declaration on Human Rights;

iv.-	more generally conform to the obligations incumbent in the
Universal Declaration on Human Rights, the two international Covenants
and other international instruments ratified by Chad.

Addresses
Général Idriss Déby, Président de la République, Présidence de la
République, N'Djaména, République du Tchad. Faxes: + 235 51 45 01/51
46 53 Monsieur Mahamat Limane, Ministre de la Justice et Garde des
Sceaux, Ministère de la Justice, N'Djaména, République du Tchad.
N'Djamena, Chad.

Geneva - Paris, 27 March 1998

Please inform the Observatory of any action undertaken quoting the
above code in any correspondence.

The Observatory, an FIDH and OMCT venture, is dedicated to the
protection of Human Rights Defenders and aims to offer them concrete
support in their time of need. To contact the Observatory, call the
emergency Line:

Fax: 33 (0) 1 40 39 22 42  Tel.: FIDH 33 (0) 1 48 05 82 46
OMCT : + 41 22 733 31 40 E-mail: observatoire@iprolink.ch

The Human Rights Action Network, a part of Derechos Human Rights, distributes appeals on behalf of victims of human rights violations. You are invited to join the network. Please check the date of the present action and do not write if it's over a month old.