Rayan Khelifi, a 19 -year -old young man detained for three weeks in Bizerte prison for drug possession, was reportedly victim of detention. His lawyer, Me Rihab Ben Abda Smaali, says he was transferred on May 3 to the Razi psychiatric hospital without neither his family nor the defense being informed.
Speaking on national radio waves, Me Smaali described a client in distress, presenting blues, scars and hand burn. According to her, the young man has entrusted him with suicidal thoughts and shown traces of visible violence on his body.
Arrested during a job interview, Khelifi appeared before the courts on April 22. During a family visit on April 29, his relatives found it in a second, unrecognizable state. The prison administration has attributed this behavior to a “psychological shock”.
The lawyer has filed a complaint for torture and required immediate auscultation and an investigation. She also raises suspicions of sexual assault, in the absence of a rapid medical examination. No answer was provided to him by the prison management or by the prosecutor.
The organization against torture in Tunisia (OctT) and the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH) have seized the file. A delegation, accompanied by a doctor, went to Razi hospital. The two organisms denounce opaque treatment and a risk of concealment of evidence.
For its part, the Ministry of Justice published a press release ensuring that medical examinations have been carried out, which the lawyer disputes. It highlights the contradictions between official declarations and those of a penitentiary agent.
Finally, Me Smaali firmly denied any involvement in the dissemination of a photo allegedly linked to his client, broadcast on social networks, denouncing an attempted diversion in the face of the gravity of the case.
