Chad: The Party for Freedom and Development (Parti pour les libertés et le développement, PLD), including its objectives, activities and membership cards; the disappearance of party leader Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh; the treatment of party members by authorities (2013-November 2014)

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview of the PLD

1.1 Origin and Objectives of the PLD

The PLD was created in 1993 (PLD July 2012, 2; CSAPR 20 Dec. 2013, 26). It was founded by Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh (ibid.; La Lettre du continent 31 July 2013). The PLD is a social democratic party (CSAPR 20 Dec. 2013, 48). It is one of the main opposition parties (ibid., 25-26).

According to article 5 of the PLD statutes, as passed on 20 January 2013,

[translation]

[t]he Party's goal is to take power through democratic means in order to implement its political agenda. As such, the Party commits to working towards:

Developing a true democracy that characterizes itself through continual respect of all fundamental rights and a true separation of powers (executive, legislative and judicial);

Strengthening national unity and civil peace in a unitary, secular republic with a decentralized administration;

Maintaining national independence and sovereignty as well as territorial integrity;

Implementing a system through which the government commits to providing essential services to society and disengages from other activities in the interests of the private sector and the base communities;

Implementing meaningful educational, social and cultural policy in order to foster personal development;

Cooperating sincerely and selflessly with all of the country's stakeholders in order to defend the state's highest interests;

Promoting and strengthening cooperation with national parties from other African countries in order to develop pan-African ideals and work toward Africa's true economic integration (PLD 20 Jan. 2013, 3).

The PLD statutes, which describe its structure and rules of procedure, are attached to this Response.

1.2 Structure, Key Leaders and Government Representation

According to the PLD statutes, the party headquarters are in N'Djamena (PLD 20 Jan. 2013, 3). It comprises three central bodies, which are the Congress, the National Political Council (Conseil politique national, CPN) and the Executive Committee (Comité exécutif, CE) (ibid., 4).

The Congress, which is the highest body of the party, includes representatives from the base bodies, members from the central bodies, as well as [translation] "activists with an elected term exercising any other political functions" (ibid., 10). It is responsible for defining the party line and policy directions, as well as for passing the party's statutes, rules of procedure and agenda (ibid).

The CPN is defined as [translation] "the highest instance between two congresses" and it oversees the enforcement of Congress decisions (ibid., 11). It comprises 160 members elected by the Congress and it meets once a year at the invitation of the secretary general (ibid.).

The CE is described as the [translation] "essence" of the CPN; it is responsible for ensuring that the party's administration functions and the implementation of Congress decisions (ibid., 12). Composed of 24 members, it is presided over by the secretary general (ibid.). According to the list of CE members published after the PLD congress that took place on 19 and 20 January 2013, Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh (secretary general), Jean-Baptiste Laokolé (1st deputy secretary general) and Mahamat Saleh Adoum Ahmat (2nd deputy secretary general) occupied the top three positions in the CE (PLD n.d.a). However, the Chadian news website JournalduTchad.com indicates that during that same congress, Jean-Baptiste Laokolé, in addition to his role as deputy secretary, was designated to hold the secretary general position until the disappearance of secretary general Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh be solved (29 July 2013). An article published by Agence France-Presse (AFP) on 26 July 2013 presents Jean-Baptiste Laokolé as the secretary general of the PLD.

During the 2011 national assembly election, the PLD won two seats as a member of the coalition known as the National Union for Development and Renewal (Union nationale pour le développement et le renouvellement, UNDR) (PHW 214, 264).

With respect to the geographic distribution of party representation, a 2013 report by the Chadian Monitoring Committee of the Appeal for Peace and National Reconciliation (Comité de suivi de l'appel à la paix et à la réconciliation nationale au Tchad, CSAPR) [1], notes that, according to party leader Jean-Baptiste Laokolé, the PLD has a national presence in each of the 22 regions of Chad, in the 73 departments and in the majority of the country's 252 sub-prefectures (CSAPR 20 Dec. 2013, 38). The same report, however, indicates that it is quite difficult to judge the number of actual members of any political party in Chad (ibid.). Information on the number of PLD members could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to a press release from the PLD posted on the online version of the Chadian newspaper Alwihda, at the international level, the PLD has representation in France/Europe with Khadidja Sahoulba at the head (PLD France/Europe 18 Feb. 2013).

1.3 Issuing Membership Cards

According to the PLD statutes,

[translation]

Membership in the party is free and individual. It is open to every Chadian, without exception, supposing the following conditions are met:

Be of good moral character;

Not belong to another political party;

Commit to defending the party's ideals (PLD 20 Jan. 2013, 14).

According to the statutes, to become a member, the individual must pay the required membership fee and register in the representation registry of their place of residence (ibid.). Once the membership fee has been paid, the new member will be issued a membership card (ibid.). Further information about PLD membership cards could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

1.4 Activities

Under the "Congresses" section of the PLD website, two events are listed: the [translation] "2010 National Political Council" and the "3rd Congress, January 2013" (PLD n.d.b). Further information as to whether the PLD held other meetings could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

According to a document outlining the PLD's history, since 3 February 2008, the date Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh disappeared, the party has been actively trying to shed light on the circumstances of his disappearance and, among other things, each year on the anniversary date, it organizes [translation] "lecture forums, and … remembrance evenings …, both within the country and abroad, notably in France, with the support of friendly political parties internally and externally, including the French Socialist Party (Parti [s]ocialiste français)" (PLD July 2012, 5). In 2013, PLD's representation in France/Europe organized a tribute in Paris, Strasbourg and Bordeaux as part of the activities commemorating the fifth anniversary of Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh's disappearance (Tchadinfos 11 Apr. 2013). PLD's representation in France/Europe also published a press release about organizing a tribute on 23 February 2013 in Aubervilliers, a suburb of Paris (PLD France/Europe 18 Feb. 2013).

Several articles published in November 2014 indicate that the PLD organized a press conference during which it called on President Deby and his government to resign (RFI 5 Nov. 2014; La Gazette de N'Djamena 1 Nov. 2014). In a statement he made during that press conference, which took place on 30 October 2014, the first deputy secretary general of the PLD, Jean Baptiste Laokolé, spoke out against the poor management of the country by the ruling Patriotic Salvation Movement (Mouvement patriotique du Salut, MPS) and the various crises that have resulted, in addition to the attitude of Chadian institutions in light of those crises (ibid.).

2. Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh's Disappearance

Sources indicate that six years after his disappearance, Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh's family is still looking for answers (Le Monde 10 May 2014; RFI 3 Feb. 2014). Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh was allegedly kidnapped from his home on 3 February 2008 by Chadian soldiers after a rebel attack in N'Djamena (ibid.; Le Monde 10 May 2014). At that time, he was the spokesperson for the Chadian opposition and secretary general of the PLD (RFI 3 Feb. 2014). More specifically, as a representative of the opposition, he was the spokesperson for the Coordination of Political Parties for the Defence of the Constitution (Coordination des partis politiques pour la défense de la constitution) (PHW 2014, 263; CSAPR 20 Dec. 2013, 27), the main opposition coalition (ibid.). According to an article published by the newspaper Le Monde, [translation] "[in] N'Djamena, the code of silence has been the rule for six years. The testimony of Ngarlejy Yorongar [an opponent also kidnapped from his home on 3 February 2008 and released a few weeks later] is the only one that exists. He stated that Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh died in detention" (10 May 2014).

In 2009, the Chadian justice system opened judicial inquiry about individuals who disappeared in 2008, including Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh (AFP 25 July 2013). In July 2013, the Chadian justice system dismissed the case (ibid.; UN 15 Apr. 2014). According to the AFP, the Chadian justice system explained its decision by the fact that it was unable [translation] "[to] identify the perpetrators, co-perpetrators and accomplices" (ibid.). The PLD stated that it intended to appeal the ruling (JournalduTchad.com 29 July 2013; AFP 26 July 2013). The UN Human Rights Committee indicates that it was [translation] "concerned" by the ruling and recommends that the Chadian government "continue to investigate the forced disappearances, given the nature of the crime, and identify the perpetrators in order to prosecute them and bring them to justice, even if they are members of police and security forces" (UN 15 Apr. 2014, para. 12).

An article published on 31 July 2013 in La Lettre du continent [2] indicates the following:

[translation]

[O]n July 18, the French investigating judge, Emmanuelle Ducos, presided over the hearings of Hicham Ibni Oumar and Mohamed Ibni Oumar Saleh concerning the complaints they filed last year [with the French justice system] for the "kidnapping and forcible confinement, torture and inhumane acts" that their father, Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh, would have been victim of.

Sources indicate that at the same time the complaint was filed with the French justice system, two socialist French senators, Gaëtan Gorce and Jean-Pierre Sueur, requested, in February 2014, that an investigative commission look into the events of 2008 with respect to Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh's disappearance (Public Sénat 5 Feb. 2014; JournalduTchad.com 5 Feb. 2014). A total of 70 French senators signed the draft resolution calling for the creation of the investigative commission into, more specifically, the role of French representatives before, during and after the events of February 2008 (La Lettre du continent 28 Mar. 2014; RFI 18 Mar. 2014). However, it has been said that the investigative commission will likely not be created because of geostrategic concerns (ibid.; La Lettre du continent 28 Mar. 2014).

3. Treatment of PLD Members by Authorities

Information about the treatment of PLD members by authorities during the period under review could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. However, the following information may be useful.

Several sources stated that Chadian authorities unleashed a wave of repression on political and civil opponents in response to the events of 1 May 2013, which were considered to be an attempted coup d'État (AI July 2013, 22; La Croix 12 July 2013; Le Monde 12 May 2013). Amnesty International (AI) indicates that opposition members in parliament were subjected to [AI English version] "arbitrary arrests and unlawful detentions" (AI Oct. 2013, 23). Similarly, Human Rights Watch states that opposition parliamentarians were arrested in May 2013 and some were detained for longer than is permitted by law (9 May 2013).

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] Created in 2002, the CSAPR is a non-partisan forum that comprises more than 150 individuals from the Chadian public sphere; its objective is to promote the implementation of lasting peace in Chad (CSPAR n.d.).

[2] La Lettre du continent is a bi-monthly publication that was launched in 1985 to address the business world as well as political and economic issues in several African countries (Indigo publications n.d.a). In addition, it is available on the Internet at AfricaIntelligence.fr, a portal for information about Africa designed for professionals that is affiliated with the independent press group Indigo publications (AfricaIntelligence.fr n.d.). Indigo publications has its headquarters in Paris (Indigo publications n.d.b).

References

Africa Intelligence. N.d. "Qui sommes nous?." [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014]

Agence France-Presse (AFP). 26 July 2013. "Tchad : le parti de l'opposant disparu en 2008 va faire appel du non-lieu." [Accessed 28 Nov. 2014]

_____. 25 July 2013. Stéphane Yas. "Chef de l'opposition disparu en 2008 : La justice tchadienne jette l'éponge." (Factiva)

Amnesty International (AI). October 2013. Au nom de la sécurité? Arrestations, détention et restrictions à la liberté d'expression au Tchad. (AFR 20/007/2013) [Accessed 12 Nov. 2014]

Comité de suivi de l'appel à la paix et à la reconciliation (CSAPR). 20 December 2013. Les partis politiques tchadiens : Quelle démocratie, pour quelle paix? [Accessed 12 Nov. 2014]

_____ . N.d. "Qui sommes-nous?" [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014]

La Croix. 12 July 2013. Laurent Larcher. "Un vent répressif s'abat sur le Tchad." (Factiva)

La Gazette de N'Djamena. 1 November 2014. "Tchad : Le PLD exige le départ de Déby." [Accessed 24 Nov. 2014]

Human Rights Watch. 9 May 2013. "Tchad : Une tentative présumée de coup d'État ne doit pas servir d'excuse pour négliger les droits humains." [Accessed 28 Nov. 2014]

Indigo publications. N.d.a. "La Lettre du continent." [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014]

_____ . N.d.b. "Coordonnées." [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014]

JournalduTchad.com. 5 February 2014. "Les deux élus socialistes ont demandé hier qu'une commission d'enquête en France soit ouverte sur les évènements qui ont conduit à la disparition de Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh." (Factiva)

_____. 29 July 2013. "Tchad : Le PLD fera appel du non-lieu." [Accessed 12 Nov. 2014]

La Lettre du continent. 28 March 2014. "Paris visé dans la disparition de l'opposant Ibni Mahamat Saleh." (Factiva)

_____ . 31 July 2013. "Les fils d'Ibni entendus à Paris." (Factiva)

Le Monde. 10 May 2014. Charlotte Bozonnet. "Le disparu de N'Djamena." (Factiva)

_____. 12 May 2013. "Inquiétudes après une vague d'arrestations à N'Djamena." (Factiva)

Parti pour les libertés et le développement (PLD). 20 January 2013. Textes de base du PLD issus du 3e Congrès du 19 au 20 janvier 2013. [Accessed 12 Nov. 2014]

_____ . July 2012. Historique du Parti pour les libertés et le développement (PLD). De 1993 (année de création) à nos jours. [Accessed 12 Nov. 2014]

_____ . N.d.a. Issu du 3e Congrès du 19 au 20 janvier 2013. [Accessed 12 Nov. 2014]

_____. N.d.b. "Les congrés." [Accessed 27 Nov. 2014]

Parti pour les libertés et le développement France/Europe (PLD France/Europe). 18 February 2013. Djamil Ahmat. "Tchad/France : 5ème anniversaire de la disparition d'Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh secrétaire général du PLD." [Accessed 12 Nov. 2014]

Political Handbook of the World 2014 (PHW). 2014. "Chad." Edited by Tom Lansdorf. Washington, DC: CQ Press. [Accessed 28 Nov. 2014]

Public Sénat. 5 February 2014. "Tchad : deux sénateurs PS demandent l'ouverture d'une commission d'enquête sur les événements de 2008." [Accessed 24 Nov. 2014]

Radio France internationale (RFI). 5 November 2014. "Burkina Faso: un exemple pour l'Afrique centrale?" [Accessed 27 Nov. 2014]

_____. 18 March 2014. "Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh - des sénateurs français montent au créneau." (Factiva)

_____. 3 February 2014. "Tchad : 6 ans après sa disparition, la famille d'Ibni Oumar Mahamat Saleh attend des réponses." [Accessed 12 Nov. 2014]

TchadInfos.com. 11 April 2013. "Tchad : Bordeaux commémore ce 12 avril la 5ème année de la disparition d'Ibni Oumar Mht Saleh." [Accessed 21 Nov. 2014]

United Nations (UN). 15 April 2014. Human Rights Committee. Observations finales concernant le deuxième rapport périodique du Tchad. (CCPR/C/TCD//CO/2) [Accessed 16 Nov. 2014]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: The Parti pour les libertés et le développement was unable to provide information within the time constraints of this Response.

Internet sites, including: AllAfrica, BBC; Bertelsmann Stiftung; Chad - official government site; ecoi.net; Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa; Fédération internationale des ligues des droits de l'homme; Freedom House; The Independent; Institute for Security Studies; International Crisis Group; International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance; Jeune Afrique; Panapress; PLD - Blog overseen by the awareness section of the PLD in France; TchadOnline; UN - Refworld, Integrated Regional Information Networks; US - Department of State.

Attachment

Parti pour les libertés et le développement (PLD). 20 January 2013. Textes de base du PLD issus du 3e Congrès du 19 au 20 janvier 2013. "Les statuts".