Otayl Chedli

Summary

Otayl Chedly is a young man residing in El Mourouj District in the capital city of Tunis. He was arrested in January 2021 while going out at night to buy household necessities. The incident occurred within the context of a random arrests campaign targeting youth in popular neighborhoods during the period of protests. Otayl was accused of forming a group and was sentenced to one year and 15 days in prison. In March of the same year, the court ordered his release.

Personal Information

Name: Otayl Chedly

Nationality: Tunisian

Age: 20

Occupation: Student at the Higher Institute of Accounting and Business Administration in Manouba

Incidents of Violation

Otayl Chedly, a Tunisian student at the Higher Institute of Accounting and Business Administration in Manouba, was detained by Tunisian police forces during his outing to buy some necessities within the context of arbitrary arrests, and he was taken to a police station in the El Mourouj are along with others. Otayl and other detainees were subjected to physical torture and intimidation to force them to sign the police report.

Sentence: One year and 15 days of imprisonment for forming a group

Legal Procedures

After arresting Otayl on the grounds of forming a group, he was sentenced to one year and 15 days. After the verdict was issued, Otayl Chedly was detained until March 9, when the court in the appellate phase ruled for his release, along with the rest of the detainees in the same case.

Human Rights Violations

The malicious charges attributed to Otayl Chedly and the liberty-depriving sentence due to the protests in January 2021 constitute a violation of the right to freedom of expression, a fundamental right guaranteed by several internal laws and conventions. In addition, the arbitrary arrests conducted by the police during that period targeted a majority of the youth in neighborhoods where protests were taking place, with the aim of intimidating and terrifying them as well as transgressing their right to freedom of expression.

Sources

Intersection Association depended on social media posts of Otayl’s friends and human rights advocates.