Ahmed Baheddine Hamada

Summary

Ahmed Bahaeddine Hamada, a law student, had his house raided and was arrested on October 25, 2022, by the police due to being an Admin of a Facebook page that covers the protests that took place in Ettadhamon neighborhood and conveys the demands of the youth in the area.

Personal Information

Name: Ahmed Bahaeddine Hamada

Nationality: Tunisian

Age: 25

Occupation: Master's Law Student and Activist in the General Union of Tunisian Students

Incidents of Violation

On October 28, 2022, police forces arrested Ahmed Bahaeddine Hamada, a law student at the Faculty of Law and Political Science in Sousse. This occurred after his house in the Sousse governorate was raided at around 3 AM by a specialized police unit. The student was subjected to violence in front of his peers because he refused to hand over his mobile phone and allow them to search its content without a legal permit. Subsequently, he was taken to the National Investigation Unite in El Gorjani, where, according to the victim’s colleagues, the police seized his laptop, personal phone, as well as several books and legal references. Moreover, the police threatened one of Baha’s colleagues who lived in the same residence, warning them against informing any other party about the details of the arrest. The arrest of student Bahaeddin is on the grounds of supervising a Facebook page entitled “Hay El Tadhamon (Ettadhamen Neighborhood),” where he had posted videos documenting the protests in the area and writings containing demands of the residents of his neighborhood, as he is originally from the aforementioned neighborhood. Ahmed Baha remained in custody for five days before being released while still under pending legal proceedings.

Human Rights Violations

The arrest of student Bahaeddin in such a manner constitutes a form of maltreatment and a violation of the sanctity of his home. Furthermore, the charges against him represent a severe transgression of human rights and infringement on his right to freedom of expression protected by both local and international agreements, of which Tunisia is a party.

Sources

This case is documented based on the testimony of one of Bahaeddine’s colleagues to media outlets and social media posts that go back to human rights activists and advocates.