Brahim Soudani, Guelma, Tradesman, January 2003

Observatory of the human rights in Algeria (ODHA), Algeria-Watch, June 2003, Translation from french

A few days before my return in Algeria and coming from Syria, I had bought goods (clothing for women and children and dresses for brides) which I had sent in Libya.
On September 1, 2002 I returned to Algeria to spend a few days and to visit my family and my friends. Then I overtook Libya by earthly way to recover my goods left over there and to bring back them to Algeria in order to sell them.
I had a friend in Syria, wholesaler who had also sent goods to me and who had called me on the telephone to ask me to take delivery of them in Libya. It is what I did.

Being back home, on December 21, 2002, at 13h 30, I sat down to table in a coffee-house when suddenly four armed men burst into the room and closed the coffee-house doors. One of them started to insult the customers while threatening us with his weapon and demanded from us to present our identity papers. His colleague then started collecting the indentity papers. Two of the armed men approached me while aiming their weapons at my head and asked me whether I was Soudani Brahim. I answered yes. One of them started insulting me and striking me. He handcuffed me and put a hood on my head. They threw me in their car. Once left the city, they stopped, made me get out from the back of the car to put me in the boot. One of my kidnappers called his superior with his mobile to say to him : “Mission completed, boss!”.

The car then went an unknown way and drove more than one hour and a half. Then it stopped. I found myself in a large yard where soldiers in dress made me get in an office. An old man, in military dress then came and said to me : “You are Soudani Brahim?”. I answered : yes. He said to me : “Your file is in our place” and he took out sheets of the drawer and asked me to affix my fingerprints on. I was very tired and I trembled with fear. He switched on his computer and started to put on the data appearing on the sheets.
They took away from me my watch, my ring, my chain and my money, they gave me an old military dress to put on. I was then locked up in a cell where there were a water bottle, a bit of bread and some olives. I then slept. The morning, one took me to an office where was a man who introduced himself as being the commandand of the barracks. He said to me that I was in Constantine, that he had contacted Algiers to come to take delivery of me and that the team set off to take me away to the capital. I would be the subject, according to him, of an investigation on “serious facts concerning me”.

After a few hours of wait, and of great anxiety, a bulletproof car of type 405 pertaining to a bank with four armed men arrived. These latters handcuffed me, took me out of the building and threw me in the car boot, where usually the funds were locked up. Then the car moved off and drove for several hours. I was cramped for room in the boot and there was a very strong gasoline odor. It was dark when we reached our new destination in Algiers. One took me out of the boot and one hooded me to make me get in an office. One then removed my hood, the handcuffs and the shoes to lock me up in a cell. One of the guards threw me an old stinking blanket.

The next morning, one took me to a room where there was a long board, like a bed provided with many straps, many electric wires, a large basin filled with water and gas pipes. One lay me down on the board and one started to question me. I answered all their questions but one of them said to me that I lied and started to strike my feet with his rangers, until I fainted. Then one brought me back to my cell.

The following day, in the evening, one took me again to the torture room, one lay me down on the board and one tied me with the straps. I shouted with all my might and I swore to them that I had said everything and nothing hidden. But without success. My torturers were drunk. One of them had small wine bottle in his hand. They put a rag in my mouth and pinched my nose. Others started to pour water in my mouth. I was asphyxiated. I swallowed water from everywhere. My belly was distended of water. They said to me that if I wanted to speak I only had to raise my index-finger. Then they stopped their torments. I then all vomit. I fainted. My torturers transported me in my cell.

Three days later, one took me out of my cell by night, under the insults and the blows with a gas pipe to take me to the torture room. One then questioned me on a subject which had nothing to do with the reasons for my arrest. One will then accuse me to belong to terrorist groups and one will quote to me names of people whom I did not know. I denied these unfounded new charges. The methods of tortures became increasingly atrocious.

On the night of January 1, 2003, one lay me down as usual on the board and one tied me with the straps. One put electric wires on my body, connected to a small apparatus. Discharges went through my body. I shouted with all my might. My body trembled and I felt my muscles tearing inside. Blood flowed from my mouth and my nose. Seeing my state, one of the torturers got frantic, removed the electric wires and unfastened the straps. Another ran in the passage to find the doctor. Then I faint. I did not feel any more my body.

The following day, I found myself in an hospital bed, in a clean room with a doctor and his assistant by my bedside. In my nose there was an oxygen pipe. The doctor put his hand on my face and smiling said to me : “What is your name?”. Then he said to his assistant that my state improved. Applying to me, he said to me : “You are saved, they brought you back yesterday evening in a bad condition. You are now in a military hospital and one made the excision of your appendix, before it bursts in your abdomen. Your state improves”(!!).
I remained 10 days in hospital, then I was transferred to the barracks where I remained 15 days in sick-ward.

On January 28, 2003, I was took to the court Abane Ramdane of Algiers. The torturers threatened me that if I reconsidered my statements in front of the magistrate, they would bring me back to the barracks to begin torture again.
I resisted then I said everything to the examining magistrate about what I had undergone as torments. But I was frankly afraid when I went out of the office of the magistrate. This last announced my incarceration to me. I thanked God for being safe and sound out of their clutches.

Prison of Serkadji
June 2003