Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
S

Selmouni v. France

1999-V Eur. Ct. H.R. 149, 29 EHHR 403 (1999)

From our private database of 46,400+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Selmouni v. France

European Court of Human Rights
1999-V Eur. Ct. H.R. 149, 29 EHHR 403 (1999)

Facts

In November 1991, Ahmed Selmouni (plaintiff), a national of Morocco and the Netherlands, was arrested on drug-trafficking charges in Paris, France, and held in police custody for three days. During interrogation, Selmouni was subjected to repeated beatings, threats, and sexual assaults by police officers. The violence Selmouni endured from the officers caused substantial injuries to his entire body. In February 1993, Selmouni filed a criminal complaint against the officers. In 1999 the French courts convicted the officers of assault due to the progression of injuries within the three days of interrogation, but the officers’ sentences were reduced. Selmouni filed an application with the European Commission of Human Rights (the commission) against the French Republic (the state) (defendant), alleging that he was a victim of torture in violation of Article 3 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (the European Convention). Selmouni argued that the severity and cruelty inflicted on him by the officers should be classified as acts of torture within the meaning of Article 3. France argued that the offenses did not rise to the level of torture. The commission determined that the cruel treatment was torture and referred the matter to the European Court of Human Rights.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Per curiam)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 825,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 825,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,400 briefs, keyed to 990 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 825,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,400 briefs - keyed to 990 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

International Law

Key Terms