Adel Zoghlami

Summary

Adel Zoghlami is an elderly man whom police forces assaulted inside the café he owns; they seized his mobile phone and accused him of secretly overseeing online betting and gambling activities.

Personal Information

Name: Adel Zoghlami

Age: 60

Nationality: Tunisian

Status: Café owner

Incidents of Violation

On 8 November 2022, Adel, aged 60, was sitting in his café as usual when a police car parked in front of it. The officers entered the café, went straight to him and began questioning him about why he was there. When he told them that he owned the café, one of the officers seized his personal phone, unlocked it and examined its contents, in a flagrant violation of the right to privacy and an infringement of personal data. The police officers then accused the victim, Adel, of engaging in an illegal commercial activity, namely online betting and gambling, the only evidence being that his phone was connected to the internet. They confiscated the phone and ordered him to follow them to the police station on Rue de Cologne. There, the series of violations continued: the victim recounted that, from the moment he arrived and asked the reason for his being there, he was assaulted inside the station by one of the officers, who beat him without regard for his age or physical condition. He is a man suffering from chronic illnesses and in a critical state of health, which led to the amputation of one of his feet as a result of severe complications caused by diabetes. He was not even able to take his medication at the time and was left waiting for many hours. A sum of money he was carrying was also taken from him, and he was summoned to appear in court without being informed of the charges against him and without any record of the incident being drawn up.

Human Rights Violations

What happened to Adel Zoghlami constitutes a form of ill-treatment and a violation of human rights. Seizing and searching a person's phone without judicial authorisation violates their right to privacy, provided for in Article 30 of the Tunisian Constitution, and accusing him of serious charges without relying on any evidence or indications proving them is contrary to the law. Moreover, the beating and insults he suffered inside the police station amount to an attack on his personal integrity and dignity, which are protected by international instruments and by the Tunisian Constitution, which protects the dignity of citizens and criminalises attacks against them in its Article 25. In addition, failing to inform Mr Adel of the reason for his appearance before the court and failing to read him his rights at the station are contrary to legal procedures.

Sources

This case was documented on the basis of the testimony given by the victim, Adel Zoghlami, to the Association, as well as the account of the victim's lawyer and a social media post describing the events of the violation.