Form to submit a communication on an alleged
enforced or involuntary disappearance
Important PRELIMINARY notice
Instructions relevant TO all communications
– There are 6 required elements, indicated with * without which the communication cannot be processed.
These are:
1) Identity of the disappeared person (full name);
2) Date on which the disappearance occurred (at least month and year);
3) Place of arrest or abduction, or where the disappeared person was last seen;
4) Forces (State or State-supported) believed to be responsible for the disappearance;
5) Action taken by the relatives or others to locate the person. If action was not possible, explain why;
6) Identity of the person or organization submitting the report.
Please, make sure, before sending the communication form, that all the above mentioned required elements are included. This will allow for a smoother consideration of the case.
– If submitting a handwritten communication, please use capital letters.
– Please provide names in full of institutions (security forces, governmental bodies or others).
Please, do not use abbreviated forms.
– Describe facts in a clear and concise fashion, providing as much details as possible.
– Submit one form per disappeared person.
– If you would like particular information to be kept confidential please indicate this.
instructions relevant to communications submitted by NGOs
– It is necessary for your organization:
- a) to have the consent of the family of the disappeared, and;
- b) to be able to carry out follow-up, by conveying Government information to the family sent from the Working
Group, and from the family to the Working Group until the fate or whereabouts of the person are determined.
– Therefore, please answer to the following mandatory questions:
* Does your organization have direct consent from the family of the disappeared to submit this communication form to the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances on their behalf? Yes __X__ No____
* Will your organization be able to provide follow up by conveying information between the family and the Working Group: Yes __X___ No____
Address to submit A COMMUNICATION
E-mail: wgeid@ohchr.org Fax: +41 22 917 9006 (please, indicate: “For the attention of: WGEID”).
Post: Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
Palais des Nations, 8-14 Avenue de la Paix
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
WORKING GROUP ON ENFORCED OR INVOLUNTARY DISAPPEARANCES
COMMUNICATION FORM
- INFORMATION CONCERNING THE disappeared person
(a) * Family name(s): Al Hamraoui
(b) * Given names(s): Abdul Rahman
(c) Pseudonyms or other forms besides given name, by which he or she may be known: ………………………………………….
(d) Sex: _X_ male / __ female (e) Occupation/profession : Joiner
(f) father’s name: Abdul Hadi Al Hamraoui mother’s name: Khetam Alhozani
(g) Date of birth: 10 April 1978 (h) Place and country of birth: Homs
(i) Was the person below 18 years-old at the moment of the disappearance? _____ yes / __X__ no
(j) Identity document (passport, national identity card, voter’s card or any other relevant national identity card)
Type: Bab Al Saba’ Register number: 887
Date of issue: place and country of issue: Secretariat of the Civil Registry in Homs.
(k) Nationality or nationalities: Syrian
(l) Address of usual residence: Al Siteen Street, Homs, Syria
(m) Any other place of residence at the moment of the disappearance …….……….……………………………….………
(n) Marital status: Married (o) Indigenous: __ yes / _X_ no (p) Pregnant: __ yes / _X_ no
- INFORMATION CONCERNING THE FACTS
(a) * Date of arrest, abduction or disappearance (at least month and year): 10 December 2012.
(b) * Place of arrest, abduction or where the disappearance occurred (be as precise as possible. Indicate street, city, province or any other relevant information)
Mr Al Hamraoui was arrested at Al Siteen Street checkpoint, in Homs.
(c) * Date when the person was last seen (at least month and year), if different from date of arrest or abduction (for example: if seen in a prison months after the initial arrest or abduction)
(d) * Place where the person was last seen (if different from place of arrest or abduction. For example: if seen in a prison months after the initial arrest or abduction. Please, be as precise as possible. Indicate street, city, province or any other relevant information).
Mr Al Hamraoui was last seen at Al Siteen Street checkpoint, in Homs.
(e) Please, provide a full description of how the disappearance took place (attach one page if necessary. Please note that, although this is not a required element, providing a description as detailed as possible of the circumstances of the disappearance will enhance the possibilities to find the person)
On Monday 20 December 2012, in the morning, Mr Al Hamraoui was driving to work. He was arrested while passing a checkpoint controlled by the Military Security forces, in Al Siteen Street, Homs.
According to the family, various people were arrested the same day, without any justification, following a bus attack which occurred a few days before.
(f) * State or State-supported forces believed to be responsible for the disappearance. If the perpetrators are believed to be State agents, please specify and indicate who and why they are believed to be responsible. Be as precise as possible (military, police, persons in uniform or civilian clothes, agents of security services, unit to which they belong, rank and functions, identifications presented, etc.).
The military security forces that controlled Al Siteen Street checkpoint are responsible of the arrest Mr Al Hamraoui according to the family. They were wearing uniforms.
(g) If identification as State agents is not possible, please indicate why you believe that Government authorities, or persons linked to them, may be responsible for the incident………………………………………………………………
(h) If there are witnesses to the incident, please provide their names and relation to the victim. If they wish to remain anonymous, indicate if they are relatives, by-standers, or others. If there is evidence, please specify.
An eyewitness who wants to remain anonymous reported to the family the circumstances of the arrest.
(i) Additional Information on the case. Please indicate any other relevant information that could be useful to find the person
A detainee informed Mr Al Hamraoui’s wife that the victim was detained in Sednaya prison in Damascus.
- INFORMATION CONCERNING ACTIONS TAKEN AFTER THE DISAPPEARANCE
* Indicate any action taken (police inquiries, jail, human rights commission, habeas corpus petition etc.) taken by the relatives or others to locate the person. You are required to state the following: when, by whom, and before which organ the actions were taken.
(a) Complaints (when, by whom, and before which organ/s)…………………………..…………………………………
Mr Al Hamraoui’s family has taken several steps towards the Syrian authorities, including the military services, to locate him. But the authorities have been refusing to answer and denying his detention.
When she learnt from a former detainee that her husband was at Sednaya, Mr Al Hamraoui’s wife went to the prison to enquire about her husband’s fate; but she was told that he was not detained there anymore as he has been moved somewhere else a few months before.
(b) Other steps taken (when, by whom, and before which organ/s)…………………………………………….…………
(c) If no action was taken, please explain why…………………………………………………..…………………….
- PERSON OR ORGANIZATION SUBMITTING THE COMMUNICATION
* Person submitting the communication
(a) Family name: MESLI
(b) First name: Rachid
(c) Relationship with the disappeared person: Mandated by the family of the victim to submit the case
(d) Contact details (address, telephone, fax, email) ……………………………………………….………………………
* Organization submitting the communication (if applicable)
(e) Contact details (address, telephone, fax, email):
Alkarama Foundation
150 route de Ferney
CP 2100
1209 Geneva – Switzerland
Tel. 0041 22 734 10 06
Fax 0041 22 545 76 55
info@alkarama.org
- Human Rights Guardians (حماة حقوق الانسان)
Feuzi paṣa CD, k16,
Antakya, Hatay, Turkey
Tel. 0090 535 836 55 30
hr.guardians@gmail.com
- confidentiality request
Please state whether you would like your identity to be kept confidential
Yes, keep my identity confidential: _____ No request for confidentiality: _X__
* Date: 27 August 2014 Place: Geneva
* Signature of author:
Me Rachid Mesli Me Amal Al Naasan
Director, Legal department Alkarama President, Human Rights Guardians