R. (name withheld) v. France, Communication No. 52/1996,
U.N. Doc. CAT/C/19/D/52/1996 (1997).
Communication No. 52/1996
Submitted by: R. (name withheld)
Alleged victim: The author
State party: France
Date of communication: 20 June 1996
The Committee against Torture, established under article 17 of the Convention
against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment,
Meeting on 10 November 1997,
Adopts the following decision:
Decision on admissibility
1. The author of the communication is R., an Algerian citizen currently residing in
France and threatened with deportation. The author claims that his deportation
from France would constitute a violation of article 3 of the Convention against
Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Summary of the facts as submitted by the author
2.1 The author states that he became a member of the Front Islamique du Salut
(FIS) in Algeria in February 1988. He was first arrested in October 1988 for
participating in a demonstration organized in Sidi-Bel Abbes. He allegedly broke
into a Monoprix store and threw a Molotov cocktail into the officers' residence. He
was found guilty and sentenced to six months' imprisonment and to pay 2,000
Algerian dinars in damages. When freed from prison, he was dismissed by his
employer. After that he devoted himself to his political activities for the FIS.
2.2 In June 1989, he was arrested again because he was distributing propaganda
flyers for the FIS. He was sentenced to two months' imprisonment.
2.3 In November 1990, he was arrested for the third time and held in detention for
an unspecified period. He was allegedly subjected to torture on the orders of the