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COMMITTEE FOR THE SUPPORT OF Dr SALAH EDDINE SIDHOUM
21 ter, rue Voltaire , F-75011 Paris
sidhoum_soutien@algeria-watch.org
URGENT APPEAL
Paris, October 7, 2003
The state of health of Dr Sidhoum - who is at his eighth day of total
hunger strike - is worsening day by day. The Supporting Committee makes
a call so that each one of us sends to the Algerian President a e-mail
or fax and request him to intervene so that :
- the rights of prisoner of opinion will be granted to Salah-Eddine Sidhoum
- a medical supervision will be ensured to him
- eventually, he will be released until his trial.
Everyone can write its own letter or use the letter below as example.
Send your mails to the following addresses :
Mr. President of the Algerian Republic, Abdelaziz Bouteflika: President@el-mouradia.dz
Phone: 00 213 21 69 15 15/00 212 21 68 63 63
Fax : 00 213 21 69 15 95
Please inform the Supporting Committee of your sending: sidhoum_soutien@algeria-watch.org
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Mr. President of the Republic
I am writing to express my concern over the imprisonment of Dr. Salah-Eddine
Sidhoum. This orthopaedic surgeon, known for his active commitment to
the defence of the human rights, had been sentenced in Absentia in 1997
to 20 years imprisonment after having been victim of an attempted murder
in 1994, which forced him to go into hiding. However, he had committed
no crime. All he had done was inform the national authorities and international
public opinion of the serious violations of the human rights since the
coup of 1992.
On September 29, 2003, he was imprisoned in Serkadji under deplorable
conditions of detention: he is being held in a wet cell in the basement,
containing a window without glass where the artificial light badgers
him 24 hours a day. There is no mattress. All his personal effects were
confiscated and his dirty cell has been invaded by rats and lice.
Dr. Sidhoum has, for two decades, worked for the respect of the human
rights in Algeria. He has always denounced serious violations by the
security services and armed groups. He has published many articles and
documents, which serve as a reference for all those interested in the
destiny of Algeria.
I find it unbearable to know that Dr. Sidhoum - who enjoys the presumption
of innocence - is imprisoned as a brutal criminal when he should benefit
from the rights of a prisoner of conscience: suitable cell, books, newspapers,
radio and brought closer to a visiting room.
As soon as his was placed in this dungeon, Mr. Sidhoum started a total
hunger strike to assert his rights of prisoner of conscience.
I ask you, Mr. the President to work so that those are adhered to and
that he is immediately put under medical supervision and released until
his trial.
Yours sincerely,