Abderrazek Selmi

Summary

Abderrazek Selmi is a Tunisian street vendor based in the Kairouan region. Police forces confiscated the scale he was using. Following joining them at the police station, the ambulance arrived to transfer after half an hour of being there. He then passed away on the same day under suspicious circumstances.

Personal Information

Name: Abderrazek Selmi

Nationality: Tunisian

Age: 58

Occupation: Street Vendor

Incidents of Violation

Abderrazek Selmia is a Tunisian citizen residing in Kairouane governorate and working as a street vendor. On July 8, 2019, a Police patrol confiscated the scale he used for selling vegetables and fruit. When Abderrazek insisted on retrieving the scale, the police officers placed him inside their vehicle and took him to the police station. In a statement to the Human Rights Watch organization, the victim’s brother reported that he was denied access to the police station and also heard him screaming for help. After approximately half an hour, he saw an ambulance urgently transferring his brother to the hospital, and as they joined him, they shortly received the news of his death. Members of his family confirmed that there were signs of violence on the victim’s face and body. Moreover, the victim had always carried a heart rate monitoring device due to his heart condition. However, his death remained mysterious, considering the evidence he was subjected to violence by the police officers. 

Human Rights Violations

The assault on Abderrazek Selmi is considered a violation of the right of bodily integrity, which is one of the fundamental human rights guaranteed by the Tunisian constitution as stipulated in Artice 23, which states, “The state shall protect human dignity and the inviolability of the body and shall prohibit moral and physical torture, and torture shall not be subject to a statute of limitations.” It is also entrenched in various international agreements, particularly the International Declaration of Human Rights (under Article 5) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (under Article 7), which explicitly state that no one shall be subjected to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Furthermore, his death resulting from assault is a violation of the right to life, which is guaranteed by Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Sources

Media statements, research by human rights organizations on the incident, and testimonies of the victim’s family to the media.