Habib Ammar

General Habib Ammar was Commander of the Tunisian National Guard from 1984 to 1987. Following the coup d’état in 1987, he was promoted to Minister of the Interior, a post which he held for a year.

During his mandate, the Ministry’s offices were transformed into centers of detention and torture. According to numerous human rights organizations, General Habib Ammar was one of the main officials responsible for the widespread use of torture in Tunisia in the 1980s.

On September 17, 2003, TRIAL International and the World Organisation Against Torture referred a report of acts of torture allegedly committed by General Habib Ammar to the Canton of Geneva’s Attorney General. Two victims joined the criminal report, and they also applied for General Habib Ammar’s arrest.

On September 23, 2003, the Attorney General reviewed the reports against Mr Ammar, but considered that, as a member the Tunisian delegation to the International Telecommunications Union, he benefitted from immunity. The Attorney General therefore closed the proceedings.