Support Committee to Free Dr. Mourad Dhina

The FreeMourad Support Committee brings together leading intellectual, political and human rights figures outraged by Dr Mourad Dhina’s arrest by French police at Paris-Orly Airport on 16 January

2012 and his detention pending extradition on a request from the Algerian government.

Who is Dr Mourad Dhina?

Mourad Dhina, holder of a doctorate in particle physics, worked at the European Center for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva during the 1980s and at the Federal Institute of Technology of Zurich whilst residing in France. A member of the opposition to the Algerian regime, he joined the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) after the military coup d’état of 11 January 1992 in protest against this illegal action.

Whilst in Algeria the leaders and members of the FIS were persecuted, imprisoned, tortured and executed, in France they were subjected to the fury of the interior minister, Charles Pasqua, all too willing to help the regime born of the putsch by arresting and extraditing FIS activists based in France. Dr Dhina therefore took refuge in Switzerland where he played a vital role in unifying the FIS, whilst strongly denouncing the “dirty war” launched by the military leadership in Algeria and in particular the Department of Intelligence and Security (DRS). Since the 1992 coup d’état, some 200,000 people have been killed; 20,000 have been disappeared; tens of thousands were subjected to torture; and tens of thousands were forced to flee the country.

Today, Dr Dhina is the Executive Director of Alkarama, a Geneva-based NGO working on human rights in the Arab world. He is also a founding member of the Algerian political movement Rachad created in 2007 which endeavours to bring about non-violent political change in Algeria. A few days before his arrest, the movement had organised a demonstration in front of the Algerian embassy in

Paris to mark the 20th Anniversary of the 11 January 1992 Coup d’état. Dr Dhina was in Paris to attend a session of the Executive Office of Rachad.

Why is Dr Mourad Dhina in danger?

Since 1993, the Algerian authorities have made various efforts to stifle and suppress Dr Mourad Dhina’s activities. The Algerian government issued a number of extradition requests; the Swiss authorities, however, consistently refused to follow through on them. Moreover, accusations by Algeria that Dr Dhina took part in subversive activities in Switzerland between 1997 and 1999, which earned him several sentences in absentia in Algeria, never prompted the Swiss authorities to prosecute him. The arrest warrant issued against him by the Algerian authorities in 2003 was also never acted upon by the Swiss authorities due to its political nature.

Were Dr Mourad Dhina to be extradited to Algeria, it is clear that his physical integrity, if not his life, would be in danger. Serious human rights violations continue to be committed: Secret and arbitrary detention, unfair trials, and torture to extract confessions. The Algerian regime fails to respect many of the international legal treaties which it ratified.

What will the Committee of Support do?

The Support Committee will act to avoid a prolonged detention of Dr Mourad Dhina, prevent his extradition to Algeria, and ensure his quick release.

In order to attain these goals, we will raise awareness among French and International public opinion; alert French and European politicians; inform French and international media and launch public campaigns addressed to the French authorities.

Before the creation of the committee, on 26 January 2012, eleven French and international NGOs sent an open letter to the French Prime Minister calling for the immediate release of Dr Dhina. As of 1

February 2012 the “#FreeMourad” petition is open for signature on the website established for Dr

Dhina’s release (www.freemourad.org).

Members of the FreeMourad Support Committee

1.   Abdennour Ali Yahia, Honorary President, Ligue Algérienne de Défense des Droits de l’homme, Algeria;

2.   Johan Galtung, Transcend Network for Peace, Development and Environment, Norway;

3.   Mohamed Al Allawo, President of HOOD human rights organisation, Yemen ;

4.   Haithem Al Maleh, Human Rights Defender, Laureate of the 2010 Alkarama Award, Syria ;

5.   Abderrahman Al Naimi, Secretary General, Global campaign against aggression, Qatar;

6.   Nizam Assaf, President, Amman Center for Human Rights Studies, Jordan;

7.   Amina Bouayach, President, Organisation Marocaine des Droits de l’Homme, Morocco ;

8.   Mustapha Brahami, Docteur en Économie, Switzerland ;

9.   François Burgat, Political Analyst, France ;

10. Sami el Haj, Director, Human Rights desk, Aljazeera Network, Qatar ;

11. François Gèze, Editor, France ;

12. Salima Ghezali, Journalist, laureate of 1997 Sakharov Prize and Olof Palme, Algeria ;

13. Guy S. Goodwin-Gill, Senior Research Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford, United Kingdom;

14. Ahmed Haqqi, Arab Organisation for Freedoms and Good Governance, Denmark ;

15. Mary Lawlor, President, Front Line Defenders, Ireland ;

16. Noël Mamère, Member of European Parliament, Europe Écologie – Les Verts, France

17. Ahmed Manai, President, l’Institut Tunisien des Relations Internationales, Tunisia ;

18. Jalel Matri, Former member of the committee, Green Party, Ville de Genève, Switzerland;

19. Hakim Mutairi, Al Umma Party, Kuwait;

20. Gareth Peirce, Human Rights Lawyer, Great Britain ;

21. Olivier Roy, Academic, Italy ;

22. Salah-Eddine Sidhoum, Surgeon and human rights defender, Algeria ;

23. Habib Souaidia, ex-officer in the Algerian military and author of « La sale guerre », France