19 February 2008

Jordan: M. Al Uteibi, arbitrarily detained since December 2004 on hunger strike

Alkarama for Human Rights, February 18, 2008

Alkarama sent a new demand to Ms. Louise Arbour High Commissioner for Human Rights asking her to intervene with the Jordanian authorities in the case of Mr Al Uteibi, arrested on November 28, 2002 and held in detention, without due process of law despite a judgement of acquittal on Dec. 27, 2004. Alkarama had sent several communications (press releases of April 17, 2007 and June 7, 2007) to United Nations organs and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention issued at its session of November 2007 a notice that the detention of Mr Al Uteibi is arbitrary (press release of January 15, 2008).
Mr. Mohamed Tahar Issam Al Barqaoui AL UTEIBI, born on 07 March 1959 in Barqa, a writer and theologian known in Jordan and the Arab world, was arrested on November 28, 2002 with 11 other people, on charges of "conspiracy to commit acts of terror". The arrest was made as a result of public statements.

Tried by the Jordanian State Security Court, he was acquitted on December 27, 2004. However, he has not been released but detained again for 06 months in solitary confinement from 27 December 2004 to 28 June 2005, during which time he was tortured several times.

After this release, on 28 June 2005, he had an interview with the Al Jazeera satellite channel on 04 July 2005 in which he expressed his condemnation of the American military occupation of Iraq. He was arrested the next day, July 05, 2005.

Since then, he has never been tried and his most basic rights have been violated.

He has been held in solitary confinement for nearly a year and tortured on numerous occasions and he has been deprived of his right to choose a lawyer of his choice and that of challenging the legality of his detention.

The opinion of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, in accordance with the methods of the working group, was notified the government of Jordan who was invited to take the necessary steps to remedy to the situation of Mr. AlUteibi.

However, and despite - or because - of this procedure, the treatment of Mr. Al Uteibi has considerably worsened during the month of January this year, which is why he started an indefinite hunger strike on 04 February 2008.

His family was able to visit him on 08 February 2008 and found that his condition had deteriorated and that he had suffered abuse by the security services who detain him at at centre in their general direction.

On Friday, Feb. 15, 2008, his family was banned from visiting him which made them fear for his physical and mental integrity.

Alkarama hopes that a new intervention by the High Commissioner for Human Rights will encourage the Jordanian authorities,which have so far shown little respect to their commitments in terms of human rights, to finally live up to their international obligations. In the case of Mr. Al Uteibi the Jordanian government would have to take appropriate measures in accordance with the opinion of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions.
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