On 28 July, the European Court of Human Rights unanimously condemned France for the ‘torture’ of Mr Ahmed Selmouni by five police officers at Seine Saint Denis [1], while he was in police custody. This accusation brought against the French state is a serious one; after Turkey, France is the second nation to be condemned for ‘torture’ ! If such acts are the work of a minority of police officers in France, then the perpetrators must be brought to justice, otherwise the whole profession risks being brought into disrepute. This incident had already been exposed by the FIDH in 1991 in an investigation into ‘racism and the police in France’.

The FIDH joins the French League for Human Rights, which calls for ‘the speedy introduction of an independent authority vested with the power to investigate any reports of police violence it receives, and to make public its findings’.

The European Court of Human Rights also believes that France has violated article 6§1 of the Convention, which states that “every individual has the right to have his case heard fairly, publicly and within a reasonable time”.

The police officers incriminated by Mr Selmouni were only sentenced seven and a half years after the incident. The FIDH points out that the French state had already been criticised by the European Court of Human Rights on several occasions, for excessively long procedures and periods of remand. The FIDH had previously brought these issues to the attention of the French authorities, most notably during its international investigation in France into anti-terrorist law.

The decision of the European Court of Human Rights serves as a reminder to the Northern European ‘democracies’ - and in France’s case ‘the homeland of Human Rights’ - that the violation of human rights is not exclusive to developing countries, and that there cannot be one rule for one individual and one rule for another in issues of basic personal freedom. The French Head of State in Africa marked the return from his travels by issuing a reminder on ‘the importance of deep-rooted democracy and a just State’, and the decision of the Court is a timely reminder to France of its international obligations in the arena of Human Rights.

(Press Release 28th July 1999)

Notes :
1. See La Lettre n° 16, 24th May, 1999.

 

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The reaction of the french league for Human Rights

The European Court of Human Rights has condemned France for torture, as the result of the acts of a group of police officers who believe they are above the law.

The League for Human Rights regularly exposes cases of police violence that have been brought to its attention, ranging from harassment to the sort of extremes sanctioned by the Court of Strasbourg. It deplores the fact that the Public Prosecutor’s Department seldom follows these cases up and rarely checks on police officers who break the law, thus giving them the message that they are free to carry on breaking the law with complete impunity.

Although only a small number of police officers is involved in these incidents, they are undermining the credibility of the police force as a whole.

The League for Human Rights calls for the speedy introduction of an independent authority vested with the power to investigate any reports of police violence it receives, and to make public its conclusions.

(Press Release 28th July 1999)

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