Summary<\/b><\/p>\n
Ahmed Harbaoui, a 21-year-old Tunisian man, worked as a street vendor selling pineapples from a cart in the Bab Bhar area, where he also resided in Tunis. According to his family, he was in good health before his arrest, with no chronic illnesses and no regular medication.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Harbaoui died while in custody at Mornaguia Civil Prison under unclear circumstances, following a rapid and severe deterioration in his health condition. Available information indicates serious concerns of medical neglect and ill-treatment, as well as misleading information provided to his family regarding his health status and the timing of his death. These elements place the case within the category of suspicious deaths in detention.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Personal Information<\/b><\/p>\n Name<\/b>: Ahmed Al-Harbaoui<\/span><\/p>\n Nationality:<\/b> Tunisian<\/span><\/p>\n Governorate: <\/b>Tunis<\/span><\/p>\n Date of death:<\/b> 16 March 2024<\/span><\/p>\n Nature of violation<\/b>: Suspicious death in detention<\/span><\/p>\n \n \n \n Facts of the Violation<\/b><\/p>\n \n Ahmed Harbaoui was detained at Mornaguia Civil Prison on 31 January 2024. At the time of his detention, there were no visible signs of illness or indications that his health was at risk.<\/span><\/p>\n \n During his detention, his family visited him several times. During the first visit, on 16 February 2024, his condition appeared normal. However, his health began to deteriorate progressively and rapidly, with observable signs of illness and fatigue, including symptoms of dehydration, blood pressure irregularities, and significant weight loss. His mother stated that, during a visit on 23 February 2024, he informed her that he had not been examined by a doctor while in detention.<\/span><\/p>\n \n During a subsequent visit on 1 March 2024, his mother was informed that he had been transferred to Mahmoud El Matri Hospital in Ariana following a health incident the previous night. However, she later discovered that the prison administration had provided inaccurate information regarding the timing of his transfer, which had in fact taken place on the night of 23 February 2024, contradicting the official account.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Upon visiting him at the hospital, she found him in critical condition, with his hands and feet restrained, unable to move or speak, suffering from swelling in his legs, and showing clear signs of inadequate medical care and hygiene. The family was informed that he had a lung infection, without any clear medical explanation regarding its origin.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Despite the severity of his condition, he was discharged from the hospital and returned to prison without medical clearance indicating recovery, and without being provided with the necessary treatment. According to a family member, he was forced to push his own wheelchair despite being unable to do so, then removed from it and placed into a vehicle in a degrading manner, wearing inappropriate summer clothing despite cold weather conditions.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Ahmed Harbaoui died on the night of Friday, 15 March 2024. His family had visited him earlier that same day, during which his mother reported a severe deterioration in his condition. He was brought to the visit in a wheelchair, without the family being informed of the seriousness of his health status. On 16 March 2024, the family was informed of his death in the afternoon, after being required to move between two police stations in the capital. The family was told that the death had occurred in the hospital, while they maintain that it took place inside the prison.<\/span><\/p>\n \n A fellow detainee reportedly informed the family that Ahmed\u2019s condition had deteriorated significantly on the night of his death, and that detainees had knocked on doors requesting assistance. According to this testimony, prison officers stated that he would not be taken out until after his death, which allegedly occurred before he was removed from the cell.<\/span><\/p>\n \n An autopsy was conducted on the day of death, and a medical report was issued. The family reported observing scratches on his chest and back and was informed that these had been self-inflicted during episodes of agitation. However, the family\u2019s lawyer has not been granted access to the forensic report, despite the opening of a judicial investigation into a \u201csuspicious death\u201d and the filing of a complaint.<\/span><\/p>\n \n On two occasions, medication was handed to the family on the basis that it belonged to the deceased, despite his prior statements that he was not taking any treatment. On the first occasion, the family was given a bag containing multiple medications and asked to sign a declaration confirming that he had been taking them. The medications included treatments for hypertension, diabetes, and neurological conditions. The family refused to sign and returned the medication. On a second occasion, the prison administration handed over twelve strips of medication, again claiming they belonged to him, in a manner inconsistent with standard procedures for the distribution of medication in detention.<\/span><\/p>\n \n To date, the deceased\u2019s personal belongings, including his clothing and money sent to him but not used, have not been returned to the family.<\/span><\/p>\n \n \n Human Rights Violations<\/b><\/p>\n \n The documented facts in the case of Ahmed Harbaoui reveal a series of interconnected and serious human rights violations.<\/span><\/p>\n \n First, there is a violation of the right to health, as evidenced by the denial of adequate medical care despite the clear and continuous deterioration of his condition, the failure to provide medical examination and necessary treatment, and his return from the hospital to prison without medical clearance or appropriate follow-up.<\/span><\/p>\n \n Second, there are credible indications of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, reflected in the conditions of his detention while in critical health, the use of restraints, neglect, and the failure to provide assistance despite reported calls for help on the night of his death.<\/span><\/p>\n \n His death in custody under unclear circumstances constitutes a potential violation of the right to life, particularly in light of conflicting official accounts regarding the timing and place of death.<\/span><\/p>\n \n The violations also extend to the right of the family to truth and justice, given the misleading information provided regarding his health status and transfer to hospital, as well as the continued denial of access to the forensic report, which obstructs the family\u2019s ability to seek accountability and clarification of the circumstances of death.<\/span><\/p>\n \n These practices are inconsistent with Tunisia\u2019s obligations under national and international standards, including Article 17 of Law No. 52 of 2001 on the prison system, Article 30 of Decree No. 1876 of 1988 regulating prisons, Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (right to life), Article 14 of the Convention against Torture, and Rule 27 of the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (the Nelson Mandela Rules).<\/span><\/p>\n \n"},"free-categories":[54],"countries":[37],"state":[39],"class_list":["post-6170","freedom-faces","type-freedom-faces","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","free-categories-54","countries-37","state-39"],"yoast_head":"\n