Ahlem Dalhoumi

Summary

Ahlem Dalhoumi is a German-Tunisian citizen. In August 2014, she and six of her family members were shot inside a car by police officers in the Al-Arich area of the Kasserine governorate. The reason for the shooting was the police’s suspicion that there were terrorists in the vehicle, which resulted in her and her cousin Ons Dalhoumi’s death.

Personal Information

Name: Ahlem Dalhoumi

Nationality: German-Tunisian

Incidents of Violation

Ahlem Dalhoumi is a German-Tunisian citizen originally from the Kasserine governorate. Tunisian police officers shot her on August 23, 2014, when she was with her relatives in one of the parks in the region. According to their cousin, Yasmine, who was with them at midnight while they were on their way home, and when they reached the Al-Arich region, they were intercepted by a group of masked individuals, who were relieved later to be police officers. The car continued on its way without stopping out of fear that the men might be bandits or a group of terrorists, which led to heavy gunfire from the police forces into the rear window of the car due to presuming that the car was carrying terrorists, according to the Ministry of Interior’s spokesperson's narrative Mohamed Ali Laroui. The narrative provided by the ministry and the victim’s family is entirely different. The Ministry of Interior confirmed that security officers at that time were in their official uniform and part of a patrol of three vehicles. They shot the rear window of a car bearing a foreign plate number, which was carrying seven individuals, due to its high speed and the non-compliance of the driver, who did not possess a driver’s license.

On the other hand, in this case, the law permits security officers to use gunfires in case of non-compliance, especially in the areas adjacent to Shaabni that were considered dangerous during that period. Furthermore, the two shooting surviving cousins of the Victims, Sondes and Yasmin, insisted that when they reached the intersection between El Khadra and El Bassatin neighborhoods, they noticed only one car and some people whom they believed were bandits, so they did not comply to the stop signs and continued to drive slowly due to road hazards. However, when they were shot at, the car stopped after Ons and Ahlem were shot. It was then they discovered that the perpetrators were police officers, which made them realize the seriousness of their actions and attempt to flee. The shooting resulted in the death of Ahlem and Ons Dalhoumi, with other individuals injured from the shattered glass.

Trial& Legal Procedures

After the murder of Ahlem Dalhoumi, intentional homicide charges were brought against two police officers from the security patrol that fired upon the car carrying Ahlem and Ons Dalhoumi, along with other relatives, on the night of August 23, 2014, in Kasserine. The German authorities also intervened, demanding clarification from the Tunisian authorities regarding the incident. Until 2022, no one has been accountable, and the case has been repeatedly postponed as the accused individuals have been left at liberty. The defense has requested the issuance of arrest warrants against the two accused individuals, as well as pressing charges of attempted intentional homicide, considering that one of the injured passengers in the targeted vehicle was shot in the shoulder. In addition, there are demands for a fair trial and law enforcement, along with the investigation of the remaining members of the security patrol on the grounds of illegal detention and committing acts of violence by public officials.

Human Rights Violations

The incident of Ahlem Dalhoumi’s murder constitutes a blatant violation of human rights, particularly the right to life. What occurred displays the misuse of firearms by the police, as targeting the rear window of the car implies targeting the passengers, which contradicts both local and international laws. Moreover, the police officers’ use of firearms against unarmed civilians constitutes a violation of Article 3 of the Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officers by resolution of the United Nations General Assembly, which stipulates that “Law enforcement officials may use force only when strictly necessary and to the extent required for the performance of their duty.”

Sources

Intersection Association depended on several newspaper articles, the victim’s family members’ testimonies to media outlets, and official statements to document this case.