Urgent appeals
84. The Special Rapporteur made four urgent appeals on behalf of the persons mentioned in the following paragraphs, with regard to whom fears were expressed that they might be subjected to torture while in detention. The dates on which the appeals were transmitted appear in brackets at the end of the corresponding summaries.
85. Lieutenant Sérayohim Doyo, non-commissioned Officer Hassane Kabo, staff sergeant Ndouba Njadimadje and second-lieutenant Joachim Nodjihorkem Mbailaou, all members of the Chadian National Army (ANT). According to the information received, the first three persons were arrested in Doba on 6 February 1993 on charges of having had contacts with the Committee of National Renewal for Peace and Democracy. They were allegedly beaten and then transferred to the military base of Moundou on 15 February. Joachim Nodjihorkem was reported to have been arrested on 23 February after having been urgently summoned to Moundou by his commander. All four were allegedly being held incommunicado (8 April 1993).
86. Some 220 persons were reportedly arrested on 8 August 1993 in N'Djamena in the course of a demonstration during which clashes with the security forces were said to have taken place. Most of the demonstrators were members of the
Ouaddaï community protesting against executions alleged to have been carried out in their region of origin, in the eastern part of the country. The persons arrested included about 30 young people aged 14 to 17. It was reported that some of them were taken to the building of the Military Court, at the headquarters of the Gendarmerie, and questioned by members of the Judicial Police, and that others were being held incommunicado at unknown places of detention. A number of detainees were allegedly wounded during the demonstration, members of the Republican Guard having fired upon the crowd.
87. It was also reported that on 10 August members of the Gendarmerie arrested three members of the Ouaddaï community: Outhman Issa, Prefect of Chari-Baguirmi, Imam Ahmat Abaker and Mahamat Zalba, former administrative director of the national electricity company. It was alleged that they were being held incommunicado. Another member of the Ouaddaï community, Mahamat Saleh Issakha, was arrested on 12 July 1993 and held in detention for 48 hours, during which time he was tortured by the so-called arbatachar method, in which the arms and the legs of the victim are tied behind the back in a very painful position (17 August 1993).
88. On 13 September 1993 the Government replied that the persons mentioned in the appeal of 17 August had indeed been detained and interrogated in connection with the unauthorized demonstrations which had taken place on 8 August 1993. While in detention they had been visited by the president of the association of magistrates, as well as by doctors. They had all subsequently been released.
89. Bichara Digui, a member of the Comité national de redressement (CNR); Ahmat Digui; Adoum Badour, businessman and Mahamat Koussou, a soldier, suspected supporters of Abbas Koty, former minister and leader of the Comité national de redressement, were arrested on 22 October 1993 in N'Djamena following Abbas Koty's killing. Several members of the armed forces, many of whom were believed to be suspected of supporting Abbas Koty, were allegedly also arrested between 22 and 25 October; they were believed to be held in incommunicado detention at the Gendarmerie headquarters or at the National Security Agency (5 November 1993).
90. With respect to this case the Government indicated, on 11 November 1993, that the above-mentioned persons had been arrested by the judicial police after a preliminary investigation permitted the conclusion that they were preparing a coup d'état. During their interrogation they had not been subjected to any kind of ill-treatment. Adoum Badour had subsequently been released.
91. The following three persons were also reported to have been arrested in connection with Abbas Koty's killing: Adoum Asil, Regional Commander of the Chadian armed forces in the northern Borkounou Enedi Tibesti region, arrested in Faya on 25 October 1993; Braïm Kossi and Hissein Kokap, businessmen, arrested on 26 October 1993 in N'Djamena (12 November 1993).