Araya Human Rights Organisation

اتقـــــوا الله في نسائنــــــا

2011-12-06T06:12:00.000-08:00

يناس اليوسف
(يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اتَّقُواْ رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُم مِّن نَّفْسٍ وَاحِدَةٍ وَخَلَقَ مِنْهَا زَوْجَهَا وَبَثَّ مِنْهُمَا رِجَالاً كَثِيرًا وَنِسَاء وَاتَّقُواْ اللّهَ الَّذِي تَسَاءلُونَ بِهِ وَالأَرْحَامَ إِنَّ اللّهَ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ رَقِيبًا) (1) سورة النساء .
سبق وان تكلمت في مقالي (لماذا لجأ القذافي لاغتصاب حرائر ليبيا ) عن مصير المرأة المغتصبة وتطرقت لوضعها وأسباب لجوء القذافي لاستخدم هذا النوع من الجرائم العنيفة ، واليوم أتابع بمقالي هذا الحال الذي وصل إليه ضحايا الاعتداء لأنه ازداد سوءا وتعقيدا بعد ازدياد حالات الانتحار والهرب والطلاق .

حالات الاغتصاب في ليبيا من جراء الحرب التي خضناها لأجل ازاله الطاغية من سدة الحكم وصل عددها إلي (8000 ضحية ) ، من المتورط الحقيقي المرأة المغتصبة أم القذافي وأبناءه والبغدادي المحمودي الذي ثبت عليه تهمة إلقاء الأوامر والتحريض علي الاغتصاب من خلال تسجيلاته الصوتية ، أم المرأة الضعيفة التي تعرضت للاغتصاب مكرهه ؟
إن الحالات التي هدمت فيها البيوت ودمر كيانها الأسري جراء الاغتصاب ليست أعدادا بسيطة 20% نساء أزواجهن هجروهن 30% طلقن ونسبة كبيرة منهن خارج ليبيا لم يعودوا إلي الوطن في تونس ومصر بدون أي دعم مالي فتايات قاصرات في سن المراهقة إضافة إلي نساء مازلن يعشن مع أزواجهم ولكن يتعرضن للإهانة والضرب والعنف .
هل المجتمع قبلي متشدد ؟ أم أن الناس لا تريد أن تواجه جريمة الاغتصاب التي يستغربها المجتمع وحتى يرفض الخوض في تفاصيلها ويعتبر الحديث عنها جرم كبير ؟
الفتيات اللواتي يرفضن الرجوع إلي بيوتهم مخافة القتل من ذويهم هل يجوز محاسبتهم علي ذنب لم يقترفوه ؟
هل ستظل بناتنا بلا دعم بلا مكان يحتضنهن ويأويهن هل سنتركهن فريسة للمستغلين بالداخل والخارج ؟
بلا بيوت وبلا طعام وبلا مأوى ، إن القذافي أجرم عندما أصدر أوامر باغتصاب النساء والقاصرات والرجال أيضا ولكن المجتمع أيضا أجرم لأنه أصدر قراره في نبذ ضحايا الاغتصاب وفي تهديدهم بالقتل أليس الجوع والتشرد جرم ؟
لماذا لم يتم إعادة هذه الحالات إلي وطنهم لماذا تركن إلي حد هذه اللحظة بلا مرجع إن كانت أهاليهم رفضت استقبالهم فالمجتمع والدولة لابد أن لا تتركهم ؟ .
نحن نعلم أن هناك جهات مختصة كثيرة تحاول حل هذه المشاكل ولكن بدون دعم الأهل كيف ستحل الأمور ؟
كيف ستقابلون وجه الله ماذا ستقولون له هل ستقولوا لأجل سمعتنا قتلنا بناتنا لأجل كلام الناس ذبحنا وشاركنا القذافي جرائمه هو ذبح بناتنا ونحن مزقنا لحمهن ؟
لقد أجمع فقهاء الإسلام أن المرأة إذا استكرهت على الزنا ، وغلبت على أمرها فلا يقام عليها الحد لأنها مكرهة ، وفي الحديث الصحيح (إن الله وضع عن أمتي الخطأ والنسيان وما استكرهوا عليه( .
السؤال هنا أليس القتل جريمة يعاقب عليها الله تعالي آلا يعتبر حراما ؟
إلي أين أيها الناس انتم هاربون من عدالة الله اتقوا الله مدوا أيديكم لبناتكم احتضنوهن ضموهن إليكم هن مجاهدات شريفات لم يمارسن البغاء والرذيلة ، هن نساء عفيفات وأطفال أبرياء اهكذا نعاملهم ؟
أين المسئولين أين القانون الذي يكفل الحماية لبناتنا ؟ الأهالي الذين يقتلون أبناءهم ونساءهم أليس هناك من يقوم بمنعهم وتوعيتهم أليس هناك جهات مختصة من المفترض أن تقوم بدور المرشد ؟ أين رجال الدين من هذا ؟ الساكت عن الحق شيطان اخرس !!
الأسر التي قتلت نساءهن لأنهن اغتصبن الأهالي الذين كمموا أفواه بناتهم حتي لا يتكلمن مخافة المجتمع أليسوا هم بحاجة للعلاج والرعاية والتأهيل النفسي هل كلام الناس أهم من رضا الله ؟
النساء اللواتي انتحرن بأي ذنب نحاسبهم ذنبهن في رقبة القذافي وحده أم ذنبهن في رقبة أهاليهم الذين دفعوهن للتخلص من أرواحهن ومن إحساسهم بالعار وهؤلاء المستعدين والمؤهلين نفسيا للانتحار لان أهاليهم تخلوا عنهم ذنبهم في رقبة من.. أليس في رقابنا جميعا ؟ قال (صلى الله عليه واله وسلم) ما أكرم النساء إلا كريم وما أهانهن إلا لئيم .
هناك حالات قاموا أهاليهم بتزويجهن بشكل صوري دون إعطاءهم الحق في عيش حياتهن الزوجية بشكل حقيقي ويتم حبسهن بانتظار الموت .
إلي متى ستبقي أفواهنا مكممة ؟ إلي متي سنشارك جميعنا في هذا الجرم دون أن نتعرض له أو منعه أو نحاول إيقافه بأي شكل من الأشكال إنساني كان اوقانوني تحت أي مظلة لابد أن يتوقف هذا العنف الذي نتج عن العنف ؟
قال الرسول الأكرم (صلى الله عليه واله وسلم) : من آذى النساء بغير حق فأنا خصمه يوم القيامة .
العلاج النفسي والتأهيل النفسي مهم جدا لابد أن ندعم بناتنا وأن نقف معهن لا أن نتركهن للاكتئاب والهلاك والانتحار الجنون والانحلال ، ساعدوا بناتكم كل بيت فيه حاله لابد من إخضاعها للعلاج كل أب لابد أن يسافر ويحضر ابنته ويحتويها ، اتقوا الله في أنفسكم وفي بناتكم الطاهرات الشريفات بناتكم هن تاج العفة والشرف أي رجل شريف نبيل يتمني الزواج بهن وسيفخر لأنه سيتزوج امرأة مجاهده لا تقل في مقاومتها ووطنيتها عن أي رجل في ساحة القتال افخروا ببناتكم ولا تنظروا للتقاليد الجاهلة والتخلف الذي فرضه علينا القذافي طوال حكمه ، لماذا قامت ثورتنا الم تقم لأجل التمرد علي الجهل والعقد والأمراض التي فرضت علينا ؟
الم يتعرض بعض الرجال أيضا للاغتصاب ؟ هل سمعتم عن امرأة طلبت الطلاق أو هجرت زوجها ؟
نحن هنا لا نريد أن نلقي باللوم علي احد لا رجل ولا امرأة ولكن لماذا يلقي البعض باللوم علي المرأة لأنها تعرضت للاعتداء أليس بوسعنا أن نتهم الرجال أيضا بالتقصير لماذا لم تقوموا بحماية نساءكم ؟ لماذا سمحتم بان يعتدي عليهن أمام أعينكم من المسؤؤل هنا ؟ الم تكن مكبلا مكمم الفم الم يقيدوك الكتائب وأنت الرجل ذو القوة ولك القوامة الم تشعر بالضعف والعجز وأنت غير قادر علي حماية ابنتك أو زوجتك كيف تطلب من امرأة ضعيفة بلا حول أو قوة إن تمنع هذا الاعتداء البشع عليها ثم تمارس عليها بالتالي دور الجلاد لتضربها وتذلها وتحكم عليها بالموت البطيء .. لماذا ؟ .
هذه بلادنا استشهد لأجلها الآلاف ومزقت أجساد الأطفال وشوهت نفوسنا وقلوبنا ولكن لأجل وطننا نعيش ونموت آلا يستحق الوطن أن ننظر إليه بابتسامة تفاؤل وان ننسي كل شئ ونتذكر لبعضنا الحب والعشرة الطيبة .
قال تعالي( وَمَا لَكُمْ لاَ تُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللّهِ وَالْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاء وَالْوِلْدَانِ الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ رَبَّنَا أَخْرِجْنَا مِنْ هَذِهِ الْقَرْيَةِ الظَّالِمِ أَهْلُهَا وَاجْعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ وَلِيًّا وَاجْعَل لَّنَا مِن لَّدُنكَ نَصِيرًا (75) سورة النساء (إِلاَّ الْمُسْتَضْعَفِينَ مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاء وَالْوِلْدَانِ لاَ يَسْتَطِيعُونَ حِيلَةً وَلاَ يَهْتَدُونَ سَبِيلاً) (98) سورة النساء وهنا وقع وصف الرجولة على الضعفاء مقرونين بالنساء والولدان ، فلا تلوم ضعف المرأة أمام آلة الحرب التي لا تعرف سوى قوة الشر والفساد ، لقد مات القذافي تحت احذيه شبابنا لا تجعلوه ينتصر علينا وهو في قبره بأن يفسد عيشنا وحياتنا وامننا ويدمر استقرارنا عودوا لبيوتكم ترفقوا بنسائكم .
أريد أن اشكر واثني علي كل الآباء والأزواج الذين عالجوا بناتهم ونسائهم وزوجاتهم ولم يتخلوا عنهن وأقول لهم إن الرجولة مواقف وشهامة يقول الله تعالى(من المؤمنين [رجال] صدقوا ما عاهدوا الله عليه )، والرجال هم الذين يصدقون ويوفون بوعودهم كما أوصي رسول الله عليه الصلاة والسلام بالنساء فارجعوا إلي الله يقول تعالي (وَلَا تَزِرُ وَازِرَةٌ وِزْرَ أُخْرَى) .

Five injured in revenge attack on Maltese-owned Palm City in Libya

2011-11-23T02:15:00.000-08:00

National Wednesday 23 November 2011

At least five people were injured in a dramatic shootout involving members of one of Libya's heavily armed militias late on Monday, highlighting security risks persisting in post-war Libya।

A rebel fighter seen in an archive photo during a shootout outside Corinthia Bab Africa Hotel last August
Karl Stagno-Navarra
Sources explained that the incident happened on Monday night when a fighter from Misurata returned to Palm City with a gang of 40 armed men, after being asked to leave the luxury compound some weeks ago by the management.
The fighter - identified as Osman - led his gang to a shoot-out with Palm City security guards at the main gate, injuring at least three men, and the gang later proceeded to spray the buildings with bullets.
Osman and his gang ransacked some villas in their search for the Maltese-run management, who at the time was not in the compound, but damage was done to some buildings and another two people inside were also injured.
One of the injured, a man from Benghazi was reportedly in bed when he was hit by bullets that came through the window.
While the injured were treated on site and later in hospital, the case was reported to the National Transitional Council, who through the local commanders have initiated investigations.
No Maltese were injured in the shooting. The ring-leader has reportedly been arrested by the NTC.
The militia group from Misrata had previously stayed at Palm City but were not allowed back in. The compound is used by many U.N. and oil company executives, who were swift to thank the managemnet for the swift end to the incident.
"I was in my room when I heard shooting," the witness said. "They were using rifles and heavy machine guns."
Witnesses spoke about bullet holes on the walls of the building closest to the entrance gate, as well as on a glass door of a balcony on the ground floor. Bullet shells lay scattered outside. Managers of the complex was not immediately reachable for comment.
Attempts by MaltaToday to contact the Maltese management at Palm City this morning proved futile.
A European worker, who declined to be named, said he was in the compound when the shooting broke out. "I was on the phone ... and I could hear the gunshots," he said. "They didn't know what was going on."
Three months after Col. Muammar Gaddafi was ousted from Tripoli, post-war Libya is still grappling with a lack of order and bristling with weapons.
Prime Minister designate Abdurrahim El-Keib announced his new government yesterday, which will have the tough task of asserting its control of a fractured country, building institutions from scratch and disarming militias.
Celebratory gun shots can still be heard sporadically across Tripoli and anti-aircraft fire could be briefly heard in the city.
Armed militias are acting as a pseudo-police force: setting up road checkpoints, directing traffic and arresting those they regard as criminals.
Earlier this month, heavy fighting between local armed groups killed several people on the outskirts of Tripoli.

Emergency Protest at Egyptian Embassy

2011-11-21T05:29:00.001-08:00

Emergency Protest at Egyptian Embassy 5pm -6pm today (monday, 21 Nov)

STOP THE KILLING - NO TO MILITARY DICTATORSHIP

called by Wassim Wagdy, Egyptian activist from Cairo visiting Dublin today.

Please spread the word.

Emergency Protest at Egyptian Embassy

2011-11-21T05:29:00.000-08:00

توقف العمل بمستشفى طرابلس المركزي(شارع الزاوية) نتييجة إضراب العاملين بالستشفى

2011-11-17T02:05:00.000-08:00

علمت منظمة الراية لحقوق الإنسان بتوقف المستشفى عن العمل بسبب إعتداءات متكررة على الأطباء والممرضين العاملين بالمستشفى .

قدم إلى مكتب المنظمة بطرابلس بتاريخ 13\11\2011 بعض الأطباء العاملين بالمستشفى وقد قاموا بتقديم شكوى تتضمن الإعتداء عليهم بالضرب من قبل المسؤولين على الأمن بالمستشفى وقال الدكتور س أنه كان كان متواجدا بالعمل وكان في فترة إستراحة معا زملائه في مقهى المستشفى ، فأتى إليهم القائمين بالحراسات في المستشفى وقال لهم :- ماذا تفعلون هنا ، إرجعوا إلى عملكم .

وحدتت مجادلة بين الأطباء وعناصر الأمن ، وإستنكر الأطباء تدخل عناصر الأمن في شؤون المستشفى

وتسارعت الأحدات فتم الإعتداء على الطبيب س بالضرب المبرح من قبل عناصر الأمن بدون أي وجه حق

و واصال الطبيب كلامة حيث قال أنه في اليوم التالي ذهب ليشتكي فوجها صعوبات عدة لعدم وجود أي جهات أمنية متخصصه فالبعض يقولوا له ((لا نستطيع أن نعمل أي شيء لك )) ، ((والبعض التالي قالوا أنهم سيتدخلون لعمل مصالحة بين الطبيب والعناصر الذين اعتدو بالضرب عليه )) وأبلغنا الطبيب بعدم تواجد أجهزة أمنية تستطيع محاسبة الكثير من أمثال عناصر الأمن هؤلاء .

وتفاجئت المنظمة أنه تم الإعتداء على طبيب أخر في نفس اليوم 13\11\2011 .

ونتيجة لسوء الأوضاع الأمنية بالمستشفى وخوف الأطباء والعاملين بالمستشفى على حياتهم فقد دخل مايقارب ال 150 طبيب في إضراب عن العمل وذلك إحتجاجا على سوء الأوضاع الأمنية بالمستشفى واليوم 14\11\2011 المستشفى شبه متوقف عن العمل بإستثناء غرفة العمليات .

The US Congress is debating a law that would give them the power to censor the world's Internet

2011-11-16T14:32:00.000-08:00

-- creating a blacklist that could target YouTube, WikiLeaks and even groups like Avaaz!

Under the new law, the US could force Internet providers to block any website on suspicion of violating copyright or trademark legislation, or even failing to sufficiently police their users' activities. And, because so much of the Internet's hosts and hardware are located in the US, their blacklist would clamp down on the free web for all of us.

The vote could happen any day now, but we can help stop this -- champions in Congress want to preserve free speech and tell us that an international outcry would strengthen their hand. Let’s urgently raise our voices from every corner of the world and build an unprecedented global petition calling on US decision makers to reject the bill and stop Internet censorship. Click below to sign and then forward as widely as possible -- our message will be delivered directly to key members of the US Congress ahead of the crucial vote:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_internet/?vl

For years, the US government has condemned countries like China and Iran for their clampdown on Internet use. But now, the impact of America's new censorship laws could be far worse -- effectively blocking sites to every Internet user across the globe.

Last year, a similar Internet censorship bill was killed before reaching the US Senate floor, but it's now back in a different form. Copyright laws already exist and are enforced by courts. But this new law goes much further -- granting the government and big corporations enormous powers to force service providers and search engines to block websites based just on allegations of violations -- without a trial or being found guilty of any crime!

US free speech advocates have already raised the alarm, and some key Senators are trying to gather enough support to stop this dangerous bill. We have no time to lose. Let's stand with them to ensure American lawmakers preserve the right to a free and open Internet as an essential way for people around the world to exchange ideas, share communication and work collectively to build the world we want. Sign below to stop US censorship, and save the Internet as we know it:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_internet/?vl

In the past months, from the Arab Spring to the global Occupy Movement, we've seen first hand how the Internet can galvanize, unify and change the world. Now, if we stand together, we can stop this new attack on Internet freedom. We've done it before -- in Brazil and Italy, Avaaz members have won major victories in the fight for a free Internet. Let's take the fight global, and mobilize to defeat the most powerful censorship threat that the Internet has ever seen.

Gaddafi 'bedded four women before holding trade talks with Prince Andrew'

2011-11-13T12:45:00.000-08:00

Gaddafi 'bedded four women before holding trade talks with Prince Andrew' Aide who dyed dictator's hair claims: 'He would have his way with them like he had just blown his nose'
Libyan leader was addicted to sex and Viagra pills

By Craig Mackenzie

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Muammar Gadaffi bedded at least four women just hours before meeting Prince Andrew for trade talks, it was claimed today.
The Libyan dictator had a voracious sexual appetite and was so addicted to anti-impotence Viagra pills a nurse told him to cut down his intake.

The sordid world of the despot who was killed last month in the country's uprising, has been revealed by his manservant of seven years.
Voracious: Libyan leader Muammar Gadaffi lived a life of extravagance and sexual addiction
Faisal, a young chef, cooked Andrew a 'traditional' dinner of tabouli, hummus and couscous when the prince met the Arab leader at the villa of one of his female friends.
Later Andrew, who's office has confirmed he dined with Gadaffi in November 2008, told Faisal it was the finest meal he had ever had and posed for a picture with him.
Trade ambassador: Prince Andrew had a meal with Gadaffi in 2008
The aide, now 29, said the royal trade ambassador discussed relations between Libya and Britain and an oil contract.
What Andrew was unaware of was Gaddafi's penchant for young women - many of whom were his bodyguards, according to Faisal.
He said: There were four or sometimes five women each day. They had just become a habit to Gadaffi.
'They would go into his bedroom, he would have his way with them and then he would come out like he had just blown his nose.'
Faisal, on leave from prison for the Muslim holiday of Eid, became friends with the bodyguards who were known as the 'Nuns of the Revolution'.
He told the Sunday Times: They all had sex with Gadaffi. The more canny of them became wealthy from his gifts of villas or large sums of cash.'
Faisal claimed that some of the women he bedded suffered so badly 'they went immediately from his bedroom to the hospital' to be treated for internal injuries.
His addiction to Viagra, said the aide, was so extensive that his Ukrainian nurse urged to him to reduce the number of pills he swallowed every day.

Gadaffi picked up victims at his former alma mater, Tripoli University, where he gave lectures and then led the young women to a nearby room whose only furniture was a double bed.

Faisal claimed that another aide was once sent to a sex district of Paris, to buy a machine that Gadaffi used to apparently lengthen his penis.
The despot was vain about his looks and demanded the aide dye his hair, cover up his baldness and use make-up and treatments with green tea to hide his wrinkles.
Faisal, who became a favourite of the dictator with his own house and car, sprayed a French-made lotion on the front of Gadaffi's head so his receding hairline would not be obvious.
The aide was forced to be his servant after death threats were made against his family unless he obeyed. Faisal was captured by anti-Gadaffi forces but is unlike to be charged.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2060940/Gaddafi-bedded-women-holding-trade-talks-Prince-Andrew.html#ixzz1dcHNBnfG

Tunisians, Turks Can Enter Libya Without Visa

2011-11-13T12:35:00.000-08:00

Ahmed Ellali 13 November 2011

The head of the Libyan National Transitional Council, Mostafa Abdul Jalil has recently announced that Tunisian and Turkish passport holders will be allowed to enter Libya without applying for a visa।

However, other nationalities such as Algerians, Moroccans, Syrians, and many other African Nationalities; are not allowed to enter the country without a visa.

Mr. Mustafa Abdul Jalil has sent official correspondence to TUNISAIR recommending that the airline should not accept in its flights passengers holding passports of the other nationalities who do not have a Libyan visa.

From the beginning of Libyan Revolution on February 17th, the Tunisian and Turkish governments supported the popular uprisings. Both nations have bilateral cooperation, open trade, strategic relations and a historical link with Libya. The government of Algeria was late in recognizing the National Transitional Council of Libya and has given sanctuary to former dictator Moammar Gadaffi’s wife Safia, daughter Aisha and sons Hannibal and Mohammed. Libya was the first Arab country to cut diplomatic relations with Bashar Al-Assad’s regime and has recognized the National Transitional Council of the Syrian opposition as the sole government of Syria. Libya is currently facing a diplomatic fallout with the many African nations that Moammar Gadaffi established strong ties to because they sent mercenaries to support the Gadaffi regime against the Libyan people.

The reality of Musa Kosa

2011-10-31T11:57:00.000-07:00

Slain lensman's wife in plea to Libya's new leaders

2011-10-31T11:10:00.001-07:00

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - Oct 31 2011

The wife of photojournalist Anton Hammerl has pleaded with Libyans to help find her husband's body, which has not been found since his death there seven months ago.

"Dear people of Libya, we call on you to please be our hearts, eyes and ears in our search for the whereabouts of Anton's remains," Penny Sukraj-Hammerl wrote in a open letter posted on Facebook.

"Dear people of Libya, On November 5 it will be seven months since our lives became inextricably linked with your struggle for liberation," she wrote.

"On April 5, my husband, photojournalist Anton Hammerl, was gunned down by Gaddafi forces in the desert outside Brega."

He had been travelling with journalists James Foley, Manu Brabo and Clare Morgana Gillis, to document what was happening on the frontline.

They were arrested immediately after Hammerl was shot and were detained for six weeks before being freed. Hammerl's family only learnt of his death after their release.

Sukraj-Hammerl wrote: "I know your fight for freedom has come at a huge cost and immeasurably broken the lives of far too many families, who have been cruelly robbed of their brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters."

She said the family could not rest until Hammerl was given a proper burial at a site where his children -- Aurora, Neo and baby Hiro -- could go to.

"God willing, one day we will make a pilgrimage to Libya, to celebrate your liberty, but to also find our own sense of peace and visit the place in the desert where my beloved husband fell."

Dr Ahmed Sewehli on mental health support

2011-10-05T00:41:00.000-07:00

Please see report from Dr Ahmed Sewehli on mental health support within Misratah. It is an extensive and detailed report that I am sure will be of great value to all interested in mental health for Misratah and greater Libya.

Do please ensure that you coordinate all mental health work in Misratah with Dr Ahmed.

aziz

On Wed, Aug 10, 2011 at 5:23 PM, ahmed sewehli wrote:

Asalaam aleykum
I have returned from Misrata to the UK for a couple of weeks following 6 weeks there working as a psychiatrist. I did over 120 consultations (documented), 2 radio programmes (with psychologists and imams), plus informal group therapy with surgeons and physicians, as well as training in diagnosis and management for doctors and psychologists. During that time I officially set up the Misrata Psychiatry Team with the approval of the Misrata Medical Committee and Misrata Transitional Council.. Dr Nagi Barakat is also aware of this team. I , along with my colleague, will be training at least 2 junior doctors with an interest in psychiatry, at least one of whom will be female. There is already a junior female psychiatrist preparing to join us from Benghazi- she visited Misrata and I found her to be a very good doctor who is willing to help and learn. We have 2 pharmacists on the team, one with a special interest in psychotropic medication. I am still liaising with colleague managers and doctors to get a more permanent place as an OPD/headquarters for our team (it is not a question of just getting a building-many people have offered their private premises, but there are a number of factors which the team are considering). We are not considering inpatient department at this time due to the small number of psychiatrists and NO psychiatric nurses. This of course is very difficult as I have seen a number of patients who definitely needed admission but had to be managed by their families at home with intensive follow-up.

In terms of women, I saw many patients with depression and PTSD, as well as those who already had chronic illnesses mainly schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. I saw just one rape victim. I am sure there are more (but unsure of how many more). I have visited the senior gynaecologists of Misrata to discuss this, and to offer my services should the need arise. I have also discussed this issue with MSF, who have a stereotypical Western view about this issue (including insisting as in their protocol that I offered the victim a document stating that she had been raped in case she wished to go to court or claim financial compensation in future), although on meeting further with their psychologists and head of mission they seem to now understand the culture of Libya in general and Misrata in particular. As we were taught whilst training in psychiatry in the UK, psychiatry differs in different parts of the world according to the culture and environment.

Now, there are many independent social groups, women's groups, cultural groups in Misrata, all putting in a lot of effort in their own ways to 'find and support the rape victims'. Some may be doing a good job, others may not. What I do believe is that there are too many of these well-intentioned people, indeed they may be more than the number of cases. Allahu A3lam.

Since going to Misrata I have been approached by many international TV and newspaper journalists on the rape issue. I have declined all interviews related to this for the following reasons: 1) the whole world already knows about this and Gaddafi's crimes, I dont see how shouting louder would make any difference. 2) This will not encourage cases to come forward, and may indeed keep people away if you are going to be linked to just treating rape.

Dr Seham Sergewa (clinical psychologist who appeared on CNN and alJazeera) visited Misrata for a seminar 2 days before I left. She stayed in the journalists hotel which she did not want to leave(according to her psychologist colleague) as she was concerned for her safety (there was no obvious reason for this). Note that she came with her husband. She was accompanied to this seminar by a Misrata freedom fighter with a machine-gun at her request. In my six weeks in Misrata I have not seen one person being escorted like that, and no one is carrying a machine gun unless they are fighters (not even my father who is in Misrata and is wanted by Gaddafi after escaping prison).
During her seminar, which was attended by about 60-80 people, she stated the percentage of rape complaints in Europe and the Usa to be up to 25%. She also stated the number of rape cases in Rwanda and Bosnia. Then said that there were 1300 estimated cases in Libya.
Then she said that this uprising was done by Libyan men without asking the women (??). Then she said that Libyans do not respect women who do not wear hijab (??). Then, after going into explicit sexual detail about what rape was (I was the only person who kept kicking the children out who should not have been there for such an issue anyway), wait for this, she said: Rape victims who are not treated will either commit suicide or become prostitutes! ......(she used the word 'da3ara')

After 2 other people spoke I got my turn. I had been keeping notes, which I still have. I critically appraised her lecture, including the fact that the number of rape complaints in the West was not applicable to Libya (for obvious reasons). Also that the numbers for Bosnia and Rwanda (where cannibalism was practised) was not applicable. Yes, there was rape in this war, and yes Gaddafi had committed these atrocities. I said that in Misrata rape victims would not become prostitutes. I finally said that any practical help would be welcome.When I finished she first said, in English: 'do not teach me!', then continued in A rabic to say how she was a professor and had a PhD from London, etc, etc, then she said: 'yes, dr, even in Misrata they can become prostitutes' . People around me were saying la hawla walla kuwata illa billah......

By the way her husband came out when the 'seminar' ended and said how dare I criticise her and that he himself was FRCS and that I had a 'closed mind'.I replied that I was criticising her presentation and not his wife, as we have been taught in training.

Anyway, this was just to give you an idea about things. My opinion is that I wish that all this effort is focused on all women in Misrata, and especially those suffering from PTSD, depression, anxiety, rather than just rape victims who cannot be found. One lady I saw was suffering from severe PTSD following the death of her husband in her arms after a Grad missile attack, and another lady was shot at with her children (yet all survived) and could not function anymore. Are they not important? There isnt even a psychiatric department in Misrata, which is the most basic essential need, yet hundreds of people locally and abroad are focusing, for some reason or other, on rape only. If we focus on all women, that will inshallah include all kinds of victims.

Just to end on a high note, Misrata is doing much much better than what I thought before I went, and the morale of the people is, mashallah, amazing. Everyone is doing what they can in order for the city to run effectively (including militarily), and people are very much together.

Inshallah I will be returning to Misrata within the next few days.

Ramadan Kareem Wa Salaam Aleykum
Ahmed

Dr Ahmed Sewehli
Head, Misrata Psychiatry Team
Misrata, Libya

Arraya Human Right Organization Human right violations committed by Al-Geddafi and his aids - unspeakable atrocities and crimes.

2011-10-03T14:32:00.000-07:00

I- Eyewitness 1:-

- Taken by force to the criminal investigation general administration –Tripoli.

- Confined to a collective crowded cell with neither places to sit nor to sleep.

- Bad smells intensively and intentionally hurt the prisoners.

- Garbage, rubbish, and waste products were accumulating and amassing every day, when prisoners asked to remove these material they were answered “shut up O’garbages” .

- Limited meals and drinks, just few loaves of bread, cheese and water.

- The guardians were all black skinned, non-Arabic speakers.

- Ten prisoners were raped and filmed to compel the others to stop talking about these crimes.

- A cousin of the witness (who had helped bringing the witness to the prison) visited him in the prison warning him that he would face the same fate if he didn’t accept to fight with Al-Gheddafi brigades, our witness said yes I would, he got out of the prison and fled immediately to Tunisia.

- Unfortunately, the witness family still supporting Al-Gheddafi and refused to receive our witness calling him a traitor.

II- Eyewitness 2, Enas Ibrahim:-

- Date: 30-3-2011 to 3-4-2011

- Crime: torture and rape.

- Enas was forced out of her car at a chick-point led (face masked) to unknown area where investigated. Tortured and raped for three days, then one of the guardians helped her to escape and advised her to flee to Tunisia to avoid re-detention, the witness observed that another girl was torture and raped in the same place.

III-Bloody crackdown on peaceful Tripoli demonstrators.

- Area: martyrs square and adjacent streets.

- The Demonstrators were shot and fired. a considerable number of them fell dead, wounded and captives.

- Tripoli residents became under strict besiege, no one could enter nor exit.

- Friday prayers were constantly and mercilessly targeted.

IV-Eyewitness 3, wounded, put in the morgue while still alive.

- Ramsy Mohamed Zaroug, 35 years old Tripoli and Gheryan resident.

- His apartment was stormed by Sahban brigades; his elderly sick mother and father as well as his wife were insulted brutally.

- Ramsy was shot, wounded and dragged out of his apartment by his legs, brought to a hospital, a doctor tried to save him but the troops asked the doctor to put him in the morgue while still alive

- The perpetrators:-

Captain Salem Milad Al-Gheddafi .

Major Almadany al-Magrahy (Sahban brigade).

Ahmed Allamoushy.

V- Osama Ibrahim Al-boashi

- Detained on the 5^th of august 2011, according to the information given from Seham AL-Mennay (revolutionary committee member, detective, and armed TV broadcaster, dressed in military outfit).

- Osama, his computer and mobile along with two of his neighbors were taken at 01:00 am, hands-tied, faces masked.

- Osama’s charge was that his computer contained anti Al-Gheddafi data.

- The accused were severely tortured, insulted and hit with electric sticks by seventeen to twenty years old Libyan drug addicts.

VI- Abd Al-Salam Basheer Abd Al-Salam

- Detained (eyes covered, hands tied) by Al-Saadi brigades while he was going to the dawn prayer, according to data from Seham Al-Menaay (Al-Saadi brigades co-operator) taken to Arrijia custody where insulted, hit and tortured by different brutal means.

- Al-Saadi brigades stormed his father’s house confiscated 220,000 L.D (two hundred twenty thousand Libyan dinars), his passport and computers.

Perpetrators:-

Alhadi Al-Azrag.

Fathi Al-Shpoky.

Ashraf Al-Torky.

Aimen Al-Torky.

Ahmed Hussain Al-Mariemy.

Faraj Al-Tarhony .

Mohammed Al-Khomsy.

Al-haj Al-Zadma (brother of Abd Al-Salam Al-Zadma).

VII- Adel Ahmed Nasr

- Four gunmen fired at a peaceful demonstration on the 20^th of august 2011 killed 24 and wounded 40 others; the dead bodies were hidden by relatives and could only be buried two days after to avoid sniping fires.

VIII- Emad Ramadan Al-Shaabany.

- Taken from his house in 1995, killed in Abo-Sleem massacre 1996.

- His family was informed about his death in 2009

- From 1995 to 2009, prison guardians were receiving cloths and alimentation articles and gifts (supposed to be given to the prisoners) while in reality they were dead.

IX-Jalal Mohammed Shaheen

- On the 5^th of June 2011, a band of twenty volunteers broke into his house, arrested him and his wife looted all his house contents (money, gold, documents and furniture)

- Jalal was severely insulted, hit and tortured

- Perpetrators:-

- Sameer Al-Foghy (volunteer commander).

- Mohamed Al-Geloshy (detective).

- Osama Al-Phandy.

- Osama’s charges :-

- His mobile contained Anti-Gheddafi data.

- Contacted with Al-Jazeera TV channel.

- Contacted with NATO.

- Fueling the rebels.

Colonel Jomaa Al-Sayah released Osama and half of the Abo-Sleem prisoners.

X- I witness Amer Omar Mohammed Shtiwi

- On 17^th of July 2011 twelve cars stormed his house and took him into prison along with other sixteen of his colleges in single car which supposed only five persons.

XI- Abd-Alsalam Jebril Yasin.

- Tripoli resident detained on 5^th of August 2011 by Al-Saadi brigades upon false data delivered by Seham Al-Mennay who said that his house contain arms ammunition.

- Perpetrator:-

- Al-Hadi Al-Azrag (volunteer commander) with a band of volunteer.

XII- Hussin Mohammed Hadiia Souid.

- Born in 1959.

- Detained on 8/3/1988 and since then no information about him.

- He was not released upon the amnesty in 2000.

- His brother Ahmed Mohammed Hadiia Souid Mobile No:- 092-5235596.

XIII- I witness

- The citizen Salah Ahmed Abd-Aullah Rizky 40 years old while was walking on the Martyrs Square he was snipped from an adjacent building (Taxes department of Ghiryan) and died, his brain was completely out of his skull.

- The victim could not be helped nor moved due to extensive sniper fire tell several hours later.

Perpetrators:-

- Sahban brigades.

- Five snipers where detained by 17^th February Revolutionaries.

XIV- Osama Al-Boashi.

- Alyarmok camp.

- Date 28^th of August 2011.

- 150 burned bodies and other massive graves where discovered.

- The bodies could not be identified.

- An eye witness was among the detained stated that the victims were shot with RBG missiles and life bullets, some of the prisoner them escaped.

All these execution were under the command of Al-Khmis Al-Gheddafi.

Human rights violation committed by the Revolutionaries.

I- Naser Altaieb date: 25/8/2011

- Violations: Car theft

- Area: Ain Zara.

- The revolutionary stormed the residents house’s late in the night searching a car but terrifying people.

- Another group said to be revolutionist apologized to the residents.

II- Nader Abd-Alkader.

- Date: 21^th of August 2011.

- Sedi Belal camp was burned and rubbed.

- Abd-Alkder Algeblawi Alwindi the commander of the camp who sent the students to the front lines to fight with Gheddafi brigades contacted Libyan TV Channel saying that rebels attacked and burned the camp.

- Janzour revolutionaries investigated the case.

III- Osama Alboashi.

- Date: 28^th of August 2011.

- A group of revolutionaries robbed and burned public and private property.

IV- Hani Ibrahim Algmaty.

- Area: Bir Alalem.

- Revolutionaries from Tripoli and Arada stormed and robbed my farm, house, and car.

Conclusion

Algaddafi regime has committed unforgettable crimes against the humanity.

These crimes and violations should be collected, documented, published, and propagated in different media forms.

Perpetrators should be brought to justice and punished as should be to justice to be a lesson for anyone who imitates Gheddafi regime and his abominable ways he used to suppress his opponents.

ARRAYA ORGANAIZATION

Take Action for Doctors in Bahrain - Put Pressure on Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI)

2011-09-23T19:03:00.001-07:00

The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) has maintained its links with Bahrain despite the arrest of health care professionals for treating injured protesters. The RCSI has done nothing to vindicate the rights of even its former students who were arrested and forced to confess under duress. Instead the RCSI has chosen to side with the authorities in Bahrain.

The King of Bahrain is STILL a Fellow of the RCSI!

YOU CAN ACT TO STOP THIS

Please write to, ring and e-mail Professor Eilis McGovern President of RCSI

A sample letter is below.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Professor Eilis McGovern
President
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
123 St Stephens Green
Dublin 2
Ireland
Tel: 01 402 2344
Email: emcgovern@rcsi.ie

I am writing highlight my concern at the inaction of the RCSI after the arrest and unfair trial before a military court of 47 doctors and nurses in Bahrain. There have been serious and credible allegations of torture made in relation to these arrests.

I am also appalled that the RCSI maintains its links with Bahrain and that the King of Bahrain is still a Fellow of the RCSI.

Among the doctors and nurses currently on trial are three doctors who studied at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dr Ali Al Ekri, Dr Basim Daif and Dr Ghassan Daif.

All three were arbitrarily detained, held in incommunicado detention, reportedly tortured, denied access to their families for two months and forced to confess under duress. These "confessions" were videotaped while they were blindfolded and are being used as evidence against them.

Additionally, Dr Ghassan’s wife Dr Zahra Alsammak, who also studied in Dublin, was detained for 25 days and is also facing charges.

I am calling on the RCSI to:

1. Publicly condemn the targeting of medical professionals who were simply performing their duty to injured protesters.

2. Publicly Revoke the Fellowship of the King of Bahrain immediately.

3. Call for an immediate independent investigation into the allegations of torture of medical professionals.

Yours sincerely

Syria’s bloody crackdown is fueled by oil revenue from Europe.

2011-08-11T15:38:00.000-07:00

EU-wide oil sanctions would cripple Syria’s ability to continue the killing. Click here to demand EU leaders impose immediate oil sanctions:

For months, Syria's brutal President Assad has paid henchmen to wage war on his own people. Governments across the world have condemned these atrocities, but key European leaders could cut off the cash flow that finances this bloodbath.

Germany, France and Italy are the three main importers of Syrian oil. If they move to impose immediate EU sanctions, Assad's slaughter funds will dry up. Assad has ignored political appeals for him to rein in his assault, and EU leaders have discussed ramping up sanctions, but only a massive global outcry will push them to act urgently.

We have no time to lose -- every day dozens of Syrians are shot, tortured or disappeared simply for calling for basic democratic rights. The EU can stop funding the crackdown now. Click below to sign the petition to EU heads of state to immediately adopt oil sanctions on Syria:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/no_blood_for_oil/?vl

We have all watched and read about the horrific violence in Syria -- much of the coverage coming from Avaaz-supported citizen journalists who are risking their lives to report on Assad's crackdown. And now we have a chance to turn our horror into action. Experts say EU oil sanctions will seriously disrupt cash flow to Assad's cruel army without significant negative consequences to either the European economy or the Syrian people.

Almost all Syria’s exported oil is purchased and refined by Germany, France and Italy, but these governments have yet to use their key trade relationship with Assad as leverage to protect the Syrian people. Still, they have denounced the violence, and newspapers report that some EU leaders are already pushing for oil sanctions. Let’s demand that they ramp up the pressure and push through oil sanctions immediately and cut the engine of Assad’s murderous regime.

Join in the call to cut off the cash to Syrian forces now. Click below to sign the petition for EU oil sanctions and forward to everyone:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/no_blood_for_oil/?vl

Avaaz members have played a crucial role in supporting Syrians in their demands for freedom, democracy and human rights. Much of the footage and information shown around the world is funded by small donations from Avaaz members worldwide. Let’s build the momentum for lasting change as the violence against the Syrian people escalates and insist the EU take immediate action now.

With hope,

Stephanie, Pascal, Morgan, Alice, Ricken, Wissam and the rest of the Avaaz team

MORE INFORMATION

Syria Forces Extend Siege on Hama as Toll Rises, New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/world/middleeast/07syria.html

EU to tighten Syria sanctions, European Voice
http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/2011/august/eu-to-tighten-syria-sanctions/

Syrian rebels urge oil sanctions, Financial Times
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/9e735f18-bd22-11e0-9d5d-00144feabdc0.html#axzz1Uc2dGYoh

Syria steps up assaults on protesters, drawing first Arab League condemnation, Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/syria-launches-new-attack-against-protesters-in-east-arab-league-condemns-assault/2011/08/07/gIQAMmKS0I_story.html

Syria protests: Troops renew attacks on pro-democracy demonstrators, The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/aug/09/syria-protest-troops-attack-democracy-demonstrators

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Libya: Opposition Forces Should Protect Civilians and Hospitals....Jul 13, 2011.

2011-07-14T02:19:00.000-07:00

Libya: Opposition Forces Should Protect Civilians and Hospitals
Looting, Arson, and Some Beatings in Captured Western Towns
July 13, 2011

A looted store along the main road in al-Awaniya, which rebels captured in mid-June.

© 2011 Sidney Kwiram/Human Rights Watch

A ransacked kitchen in the abandoned town of al-Awaniya.

© 2011 Sidney Kwiram/Human Rights Watch

After rebels captured Rayayinah in mid-June, the hospital was broken into and ransacked.

© 2011 Sidney Kwiram/Human Rights Watch..More Coverage: Download Photos of Looting and Arson in Homes, Hospitals, and sShops in Rebel-Controlled Areas of Western Libya,
More Human Rights Watch Reporting on Libya.Opposition leaders should halt and punish all rebel abuses. The rebel authorities have a duty to protect civilians and their property, especially hospitals, and discipline anyone responsible for looting or other abuse.
.Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch.(Zintan, Libya) - Rebel forces in Libya should protect civilians and civilian property in areas they control, Human Rights Watch said today. The rebel forces should hold accountable anyone from their ranks responsible for looting, arson, and abuse of civilians in recently captured towns in western Libya, Human Rights Watch said.

In four towns captured by rebels in the Nafusa Mountains over the past month, rebel fighters and supporters have damaged property, burned some homes, looted from hospitals, homes, and shops, and beaten some individuals alleged to have supported government forces, Human Rights Watch said.
Human Rights Watch witnessed some of these acts, interviewed witnesses to others, and spoke with a rebel commander about the abuses.

"Opposition leaders should halt and punish all rebel abuses" said Joe Stork, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "The rebel authorities have a duty to protect civilians and their property, especially hospitals, and discipline anyone responsible for looting or other abuse."

Rebel forces seized control of al-Awaniya, Rayayinah, and Zawiyat al-Bagul in mid-June 2011, ousting government forces that had used the towns as a base for attacks against rebel-held territory - some of them indiscriminate attacks on civilian-inhabited areas. Rebel forces captured al-Qawalish on July 6.

In all four towns, some residents had left when government forces first arrived to fight the rebels in April and May. In all the towns but Rayayinah, most of the remaining residents fled when government forces withdrew, apparently fearing reprisals from rebel forces.

Al-Awaniya and Zawiyat al-Bagul are home to members of the Mesheshiya tribe, known for its loyalty to the Libyan government and Muammar Gaddafi.

The rebel military commander in the Nafusa Mountains, Col. El-Moktar Firnana, admitted that some abuses had taken place after rebels captured the towns, but said such attacks violated orders issued to the rebel forces not to attack civilians or damage civilian property. He claimed that some people had been punished, but did not say how many people or for what offenses.

"If we hadn't issued directives, people would have burned these towns down to the ground," he told Human Rights Watch.

In al-Qawalish on July 7, Human Rights Watch saw people with rebel t-shirts and hats, some of them armed, loading items looted from stores onto trucks with rebel markings. Five houses, which Human Rights Watch had seen intact the day before when government forces withdrew, were on fire. Three more houses and one shop were on fire during visits on July 10 and 11, and at least six other houses appeared to have been newly burned.

Al-Awaniya and Zawiyat al-Bagul appeared empty of residents during several visits by Human Rights Watch between July 2 and 10. Houses on three streets in al-Awaniya and two streets in Zawiyat al-Bagul that Human Rights Watch inspected had been ransacked. The stores along the main streets in both towns had been broken into and looted.

Local residents told Human Rights Watch that the Libyan government had brought members of the Mesheshiya tribe to al-Awaniya from other towns approximately 30 years ago, a resettlement that continues to cause tension with neighboring towns.

In Rayayinah, one resident who stayed said that rebels had looted medical equipment from the polyclinic after taking the town. Human Rights Watch visited the facility on July 2 and saw vandalized rooms, broken windows and doors, and evidence of missing medical equipment, including an x-ray machine and possibly an electrocardiogram machine.

The hospital in al-Awaniya, inspected by Human Rights Watch on July 3, was in a similar condition, with missing equipment, broken windows, and damaged furniture.

A medic sympathetic to the rebels told Human Rights Watch that he had participated in the looting of the al-Awaniya hospital after rebels took the town:

[The al-Awaniya Hospital] was very well-equipped, and we basically took everything. It was well equipped for Gaddafi troops. [Rebels] said that Zintan would be the central hospital for the region.... I heard that the equipment from [the] Rayayinah [polyclinic] went to Zintan too.

Human Rights Watch visited the Zawiyat al-Bagul medical clinic on July 3. It had also been attacked and looted by vandals.

The removal of the medical equipment and damage to the facilities would hinder the return of the civilian population to those towns, Human Rights Watch said.

Residents of Rayayinah told Human Rights Watch that between 300 and 400 people stayed in the town when the rebels arrived, including in the western part, which government forces had used to shell rebel-held Zintan. One of the residents told Human Rights Watch that he saw the injuries of three people from the western part of town who claimed to have been beaten by rebels, and one person who said rebels had shot him in the foot:

Their wrists were tied with dusty wire and they had been beaten. I saw three cases but there are more than that. One lost two toes when a fighter from Zintan shot his foot. I saw a lot of bruises on the face, hands, everywhere. Most of them have left now.

Some of the damage in Rayayinah was also caused by government forces during their presence in the town. Mohamed el-Mizoughi, a local resident, told Human Rights Watch that government soldiers had punished rebel supporters by arresting them, burning down their houses, and looting their stores.

The rebel commander, Colonel Firnana, explained the rebel violations as a consequence of the victims' alleged support for government forces. "People who stayed in the towns were working with the army," he said. "Houses that were robbed and broken into were ones that the army had used, including for ammunition storage." He continued, "Those people who were beaten were working for Gaddafi's brigades."

It was dangerous for residents of the four captured towns to return because of anger in the rebel-held towns that government forces had attacked, Colonel Firnana said.

"Opposition forces have an obligation to protect civilians and their property in the areas they control so people feel they can return home safely and rebuild their lives," Stork said.

Two other towns in rebel-held territory in the Nafusa Mountains, el-Harabah and Tamzin, are known to include Gaddafi supporters, but they have managed to maintain relations with both the Libyan government and the rebels. These towns have not been used by government forces since the February uprising began.

Opposition fighters in the Nafusa Mountains have detained roughly 200 government fighters over the past month. Human Rights Watch had unrestricted access to detention facilities in Zintan, Yafran, and Kikla. Some detainees complained of physical abuse at the time of capture, but said that conditions since then had been adequate.

Human Rights Watch has documented repeated indiscriminate attacks by government forces on civilian areas in the Nafusa Mountains over the past two months, as well as the use of landmines. In the town of Yafran, government forces unlawfully occupied a hospital for six weeks.

"Opposition forces say they are committed to human rights, but the looting, arson, and abuse of civilians in captured towns are worrying," Stork said. "This raises concerns about how civilians will be treated if rebels capture other towns where the government has support."

Libyan delegation in Israel to bolster Gaddafi's image

2011-07-14T01:36:00.000-07:00

israel today MagazineYou've read the news. Now understand it.
Libyan delegation in Israel to bolster Gaddafi's image
Monday, July 11, 2011 Ryan Jones

Israel Channel 2 News reported on Sunday that a delegation sent by embattled Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi was in Israel last week in an effort to repair the tarnished image of their nation and leader.

The delegation met with opposition leader Tzipi Livni (Kadima), because she was the Israeli politician most outspoken in her support of the Libyan rebels trying to overthrow Gaddafi.

The Libyans reportedly presented Livni with a personal recorded message from Gaddafi.

The Libyan delegation also met with Kadima lawmaker Meir Sheetrit, who has vocally backed Arab peace initiatives that Libya has been behind, and with Jewish leaders of Libyan descent.

It is unclear why the Libyan regime is so concerned about what Israelis think of it, but Gaddafi has always had a bizarre, if not hostile, relationship with the Jewish state.

Earlier this year it was revealed that Gaddafi had tried to financially back the formation of a Libyan political party to run in Israel's 2009 parliamentary election.

As his nation exploded in pro-democracy demonstrations in February, Israelis were reminded of a Channel 2 News interview last year with an Israeli Jewish woman claiming to be Gaddafi's secodn cousin.

If the story of Guita Brown is accurate, that would make Gaddafi Jewish, and eligible for the "right of retur" to the Jewish state. The news anchor at the time joked that like it or not, Israel would be obligated by its own laws to provide Gaddafi with asylum.

Situation Report:

2011-07-14T01:04:00.000-07:00

Libya - July 13, 2011

Executive Summary

On June 12, 2010 captured Sub-Saharan fighters say morale is low with many desertions; U.S. officials say momentum is growing for pro-democracy forces; that Gaddafi will run out of fuel by summer’s end, and that he must go; France seeking ways to end the conflict with ceasefire prerequisite for negotiations; NTC Oil and Finance Minister visited Nafusa Mountains region, bringing aid; NTC calls repeatedly on Western countries to unfreeze Libyan assets and send economic aid; pro-democracy forces announce unified command structure under Minister of Defense, Jalal al-Digheily; Human Rights watch states that pro-democracy forces should protect civilians and civilian property; Switzerland sends special envoy to Benghazi to open a liaison office, and states that NTC is “sole legitimate partner for contact; ” Free Generation Movement states that 70% of shops are closed, and prices have increased five-fold in Tripoli, with continued arrests and forced disappearances; resulting in mini-exodus leaving Tripoli; reports of torture and rape in Abu Salim prison; UNICEF states that two million children are at physical and emotional risk from conflict; and delegation of European lawmakers travels to Tunisia to assess the humanitarian situation for refugees fleeing the conflict in Libya; and BBC team in Tripoli had TV equipment used for live two-ways 'removed' while team was sleeping; and states that BBC website has been blocked from Rixos Hotel.

Significant opportunities remain for international policymakers to positively impact the situation in Libya, such as by:

•Recognizing the National Transitional Council as the sole, legitimate representative of the Libyan people until Libyan civilians can hold democratic elections
•Unfreezing of Gaddafi regime assets as a means of facilitating humanitarian relief efforts in Libya to protect civilians from starvation and to facilitate peace and stability in liberated areas
•Formulating clear and consistent consensus of how to achieve ultimate goal of removing Gaddafi from power, marshaling all resources necessary to execute consensus vision, and ensuring that the country is able to smoothly transition into its pre-democracy phase
•Providing more humanitarian aid to the Libyan people in Western besieged cities, Misrata, Nafusa mountain region, and Zintan, as well as to refugees at the border
•Providing pro-democracy fighters with weapons as a means of self-defense and participation in their struggle for freedom
•Protecting natural resources, such as natural water reserves and oil fields, along with natural heritage sites and ancient ruins, which have been threatened by Gaddafi forces
•Deploying fact-finding missions to Tripoli as a means of gaining access to prisons and facilities reported to house many kidnapped persons, including Ain-Zara and Abu Saleem prisons
•Preventing the creation of a power vacuum by promoting and facilitating the post-Gaddafi political transition process; investing in systems and structures that support post-conflict planning dialogue and programs that build leadership and management competencies
•Disabling Gaddafi’s capacity to circumvent UN Sanctions, particularly via the acquisition of oil through third parties and the repatriation and harboring of funds through key officials abroad
•Preventing foreign-national mercenaries from entering Libya and focusing on countries that continue to provide support to Gaddafi
•Widening NATO efforts to the full extent possible under UN Resolution 1973 to protect civilians and oust Gaddafi from power
•Reinstituting American participation and leadership in the NATO mission

LIBYA SITUATION REPORT – July 13, 2011
The following report provides information from sources on the ground in Libya (compiled through telephone conversations, news reports, Twitter, Facebook, and pro-democracy Libya websites) that will help policymakers respond quickly to developments in the country.

Military Developments: Gaddafi and Loyalists
Summary of News

•Free Generation Movement: Two female Katiba soldiers injured by two male Katiba soldiers in an episode of infighting in Gergarish, Tripoli. Vast increase in checkpoints on outskirts of Soug Al Jomaa, Fashloum, Araada, Dahmani, Ben Ashour, Furnag, Ein Zara. Continued defections from internal and external security in Tripoli (http://tiny.cc/mph2b)
•Naturalized Sub-Saharan fighters ordered by Gaddafi regime to shoot Libyans who retreat from the front line. Captured Gaddafi soldier says morale low and many desertions (http://tiny.cc/qvijb)
•U.S. Officials: Collection of indicators, including territory seized and looming fuel and money shortages, show first shift from stalemate to momentum for pro-democracy forces. French Foreign Minister: Gaddafi prepared to leave power (http://tiny.cc/duk7t)
•U.S. Intelligence: Gaddafi troops may run out of fuel by summer’s end. Senior European diplomat echoed American assertion that momentum is growing for pro-democracy forces. French Foreign Minister: Gaddafi “sending messengers everywhere — to Turkey, to New York, to Paris” — to explore ways to end the conflict. Gaddafi’s PM: ceasefire pre-requisite to negotiations (http://tiny.cc/1n5sg)
Policy Implications

•Pro-democracy fighters are attaining substantial gains in conflict as fuel shortages continue to pressure regime
•International sanctions, along with political, diplomatic, financial, and military pressure continue to be effective
•US intelligence, along with Senior US and European analysts indicate by end of summer, there may be a tipping point in favor of the pro-democracy forces
•Internal fighting within Gadaffi forces is increasing; order given to naturalized citizens to shoot Gaddafi soldiers who desert frontline indicates fear of Gaddafi loyalist desertion is high
•Gaddafi becoming more desperate to achieve political solution to conflict as pressure increases
Policy Recommendations

•Continue military, financial, and diplomatic pressure on Gadaffi regime by tightening sanctions
•Allow Libyan frozen assets to be funneled to NTC to enable them to continue functioning as requested by Ali Tarhuni, NTC Finance Minister
•The removal from power of Gadaffi, his sons, and his entourage should be deemed pre-requisites to any peace plan, as advocated by NTC, as a means of ensuring a legitimate democratic transition
•A ceasefire should not be accepted as a prerequisite for negotiations, as continued military and economic pressure on the Gaddafi regime are likely the only factors pushing them into negotiations in the first place; Gaddafi’s willingness to relinquish power likely to disappear if pressure drops
Military Developments: NTC and Pro-Democracy Fighters
Summary of News

•NTC Oil and Finance Minister visited Nafusa Mountains region, bringing aid and preparing for another major advance. Affirmed strategic importance of Rhebat air strip.Repeated calls from the NTC for Western countries to send economic aid, including frozen Libyan government funds (http://tiny.cc/ui8y9)
•Pro-democracy forces announced unified command structure for first time. Will now fall under command of Minister of Defense, Jalal al-Digheily (http://tiny.cc/u0xah)
•Human Rights Watch: pro-democracy forces should protect civilians and civilian property in areas they control. Military commander in Nafusa Mountains admitted that some abuses took place despite orders to the contrary. Claimed that perpetrators have been punished (http://tiny.cc/oz0nc)
Policy Implications

•Pro-democracy forces' volunteer army continues to make strides against Gadaffi regime
•Gheryan campaign remains vital in push for Tripoli as Gheryan controls main highway leading to capital; both the pro-democracy fighters and the Gadaffi regime are preparing for Gheryan confrontation
•Libya remains a united country as exemplified by the Ali Tarhouni visit to the Nafusa mountains to ensure all proper aid is being received and to assess the needs of the region
•Airstrip in Nafusa Mountains is facilitating communication and humanitarian aid delivery to the formerly besieged region
•Further education and training for civilian pro-democracy forces on international law, human rights, and Islamic law concerning armed combat, weaponry, and behavior for fighters needs to be prioritized

Policy Recommendations

•Funding provided by international NGOs and development organizations should provide democracy education and training as a means of preventing reprisals in the current conflict and during the transitional period in post-conflict Libya. Trainings should include Islamic education and should be designed in cooperation with local communities to ensure cultural relevancy
•Deployment of fact finding missions to ensure compliance with international, human rights, and Islamic law by both parties in conflict, but particularly pro-regime forces who continue to utilize brutal methods of warfare including rape and land mines
•Unfreezing of Libyan frozen funds as a means of ensuring humanitarian aid and medical supplies is available to Libyans in need in all parts of the country
Political Developments: Gaddafi and Loyalists
Summary of News

•US State Department: “a lot of folks” claiming to speak for Gaddafi in touch with various Western countries. “Messages are contradictory” and there is no clear communication that “Gaddafi is prepared to understand that its time for him to go" (http://tiny.cc/8ysn9)
Policy Implications

•Common denominator for various international spokesman is the illegitimacy of Gaddafi as the ruler of Libya
•Diplomatic pressure continues to increase on Gadaffi
•US holds fast to definition of victory in Libya as democratic Libya with the absence of Gadaffi and his son
Policy Recommendations

•Expulsion of Gaddafi regime diplomats from all international organizations due to current ICC arrest warrant for Muammar Gaddafi, his son, and senior regime member Abdulla Senussi
•Continued financial, military, and diplomatic pressure on Gadaffi regime
•Continued surveillance of borders to thwart oil deliveries to regime through third parties
Political Developments: NTC and Pro-Democracy Fighters
Summary of News

•Swiss to send special envoy to Benghazi to open a liaison office. Swiss Foreign Ministry: NTC is “sole legitimate partner for contact” (http://tiny.cc/pdezo)
Policy Implications

•International community continues to recognize NTC as only legitimate, temporary representative of Libyan people
Policy Recommendations

•Delegitimizing Gadaffi regime and recognizing NTC through by expelling Gadaffi representatives from international organizations and inviting NTC representatives to replace expelled Gadaffi loyalists
•Unfreezing of Libyan funds and facilitating quick delivery of funds to NTC as a means of ensuring stability in liberated areas, facilitating humanitarian aid, and increasing morale among pro-democracy forces, whilst increasing pressure on Gadaffi regime
Humanitarian Needs
Summary of News

•Free Generation Movement, Tripoli: 70% shops closed, prices have increased fivefold, university empty, wages unpaid, banks turning people away, lack of fuel, and mass arrests. Arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearances continue. Regime broadcasting on Libyan channel anyone involved in civil disobedience will be executed
•Free Generation Movement: Mini exodus from Tripoli as families leave the capital leaving behind the shabab (youth) in anticipation of a new phase. Many youth who are discovering themselves on wanted lists are also escaping the capital (http://tiny.cc/stn08)
•Reports of torture and rape in Abu Salim prison in Tripoli and indications of rape in city of Tripoli (http://tiny.cc/6irmn)
•Ground source: rapes are occurring in Tripoli
•Ground source: one female taken at checkpoint leaving Tripoli for having the Free Libya flag in her mobile phone
•UNICEF: 2 million children at physical and emotional risk as conflict drags on. Landmines and explosive remnants of war contaminate areas around Misrata, Ajdabiya and the Nafusa Mountains. Many in urgent need of psycho-social support (http://tiny.cc/3h7ui)
•Delegation of European lawmakers traveling to Tunisia to assess the humanitarian situation for refugees fleeing the conflict in Libya (http://tiny.cc/21ec4)
Policy Implications

•Tripoli is tense and almost at a tipping point despite the false sense of calm presented by the regimes PR machine
•The halting of normal life as shops and schools close, combined with the petrol shortage, is increasing pressure inside the capital
•Regime continues to use enforced disappearance and "hit lists" as a means of maintaining control in the capital
•Increased security combined with increased exodus from the capital is indicative of wide anticipation of an approaching “tipping point” in Libya

Policy Recommendations

•Condemn in the strongest language the policy of enforced imprisonment, torture, and killings utilized by regime as a means of controlling the population
•Deployment of fact finding missions (both Arab and international e.g. Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International) to Tripoli prisons of Abu Salim and Ain Zara, the two prisons where most reports of torture come from. Insistence that fact finding missions be unaccompanied by government officials; deployment of fact finding mission to Azzawiya and Azzawiya prisons
•Strong surveillance of Gheryan by international community to ensure that human rights abuses do not take place
•Disabling government TV channels, which regularly incite violence; protection of civilians engaged in acts of civil disobedience who have been threatened and targeted by regime propaganda on TV
Communications Developments
Summary of News

•Jonny Hallam Jonny Hallam (BBC reporter): BBC team in Tripoli has had TV equipment used for live two-ways 'removed' while team was sleeping. BBC website has been blocked on Rixos Hotel internet but BBC World News available on TV
Policy Implications

•Libyan government continues to communicate false information
•Despite invitation for international journalists to come to Tripoli, journalist work continues to be observed, censored, and stolen in Gaddafi-controlled areas
•Any anti-Gaddafi reporting strongly censored by regime; expulsion of “guilty” journalists common; regime attempts to coerce journalists into changing stories and denying sources as evidenced (most recently) by expulsion of Guardian reporter
Policy Recommendations

•Any Gaddafi regime press conferences should be viewed with great skepticism and any information from regime officials needs to be confirmed prior to being accepted as fact by mainstream media
•Public condemnation in the strongest language of Gaddafi government’s treatment of international journalists; warnings against censorship made by journalist unions and associations

ILCG Holland Meeting

2011-07-10T03:10:00.000-07:00

Alhmdollelah our meeting in Holland was really perfect it was more than expected, countries attending plus that sharing in this meeting around 15 countries and many Aid organizations from different parts of the world.

Holland
Hungary
UK (sharing)
Austria(sharing)
Ireland
USA(sharing)
Canada(sharing)
Belgium
Libya(sharing)
Tunisia
Spain
Germany
Qatar(sharing)
Czech
France

Summary of the Holland meeting 09/07/2011:

All the attender deeply believe in the important of the communications between aid organizations.

The discussion was highly professional,legal and mature we cover all most all the aspects.

All members attended recognized ILCG to be the main communicating body and they will work with ILCG to communicate all other organizations on the ground and they will pass this information all over the world.

Some of these big organizations join and merge with ILCG last night after long deep discussion about ILCG network and structure and the relation ship with aid organizations.

Meeting discussion show the necessary of ILCG to be registered with legal cover as now we ILCG is increasing in the countries and members and many aid organizations involved in ILCG nearly every week.

The projects for appeals presented, the BCG vaccine program appeal confirm and in approximately 3 minutes we collected around 50000 Euros from different aid organizations from all countries who attend or share in this meeting (provisionally).

During the meeting we receive a phone call from Aid organization in Benghazi requesting to join the ILCG, some of our members they know and recommended this aid organization to merge with ILCG group.
The attenders give us very valuable advices which we accept it and we will discuss that in our ILCG meeting by details.

Libyan embassy in Holland give us all support and help to do this meeting in highly Quit and peaceful environment.

Meeting start at 03:00pm and we finish around 08:00pm.

Meeting started by Reciting of holly Quran and ended by Dwaa.

Dear ILCG members ,All details and figures will be discuss in our next ILCG meeting.

Walhamdollelah rabo alallamen

Thank you

yours sincerely

Dr Idris Founas

2011-07-07T15:47:00.001-07:00

7th July 2011 7pm Dublin – Public Meeting: Achievements of the Flotilla Movement

2011-07-07T15:39:00.000-07:00

Irish Ship To Gaza Public Meeting

Achievements of the Flotilla Movement and building Solidarity With Palestine

7pm – Thursday 7th July 2011, The Connolly Room, Liberty Hall, Dublin 1

Speakers from the Irish ship the MV Saoirse

TREVOR HOGAN – Former Irish Rugby International
MAGS O’BRIEN – SIPTU Trade Unionist
FINTAN LANE – Irish Ship to Gaza Coordinator
Cllr. HUGH LEWIS – United Left Alliance
Chair: RAYMOND DEANE – Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign

Come along to hear from participants from the sabotaged Irish ship to Gaza, and to discuss the way forward for building solidarity with the Palestinian people and their struggle for human, democratic and national rights.

Despite being thusfar unable to sail to Gaza, the Freedom Flotilla movement has succeeded in mobilising genuinely popular international support to challenge the conspiracy of silence on the occupation of Palestine and blockade of Gaza by Israel, which is overtly and tacitly enforced by some of the most powerful governments in the world.

In Ireland, we have succeeded in transforming the terms of public debate about the occupation of Palestine, so that whereas before the flotilla’s departure many people either weren’t aware of the issue or accepted uncritically the official narrative of events propounded by the government of Israel’s propaganda machine, now increasing number of people are aware of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, its roots in the Israeli occupation of Palestine and maritime blockade, and the mendacious and violent lengths to which the Israeli government and its complicit allies will go to stamp out peaceful opposition to it.

The displaced Libyan refugees

2011-07-04T08:41:00.000-07:00

To Whom It May Concern:
The Canadian Libyan Council (CLC) and the New Libya Foundation are partnering together for
the creation of a women and children’s empowerment center for the displaced Libyan refugees
in Tunisia.
The situation at the borders of the Western Mountains in Libya and Tunisia is one which
requires much attention. There are over 100,000 displaced Libyans in Tunisia, with roughly
25,000 in the Southern Tunisian town of Tatouine. The number continues to grow and as the
conflict exceeds 100 days, the needs of the refugee’s are becoming more complex in nature. The
refugee population is now in need of a psycho-social support system.
With the Libyan culture being one of deeply conservative values, women are unable to leave
their homes/tents without supervision, and with the limited privacy of the refugee camps, many
often remain veiled for weeks on end. In addition, many women suffer from depression and in
some cases, have experienced sexual assault at the hands of soldiers and have not been
accessible for treatment. Children are restless, disengaged and becoming increasingly isolated
from their stressed and emotionally depleted parents. Children are also receiving little to no
education, and are months behind their counterparts in Egypt and Tunisia.
Operation Empower has organized a program for women and children to treat, engage and
empower them during these devastating times by providing a holistic solution including physical
activity and education with special attention to emotional and psychological well-being. We
hope to recruit the refugee’s into our projects empowering them to contribute to a solution to
their community’s well-being and empowerment. In addition, refugee’s will begin to develop
the civil society and community building skills which will be required of them as they return to
their homes and rebuild their nation.
We ask for your support in this project so that we can help return a sense of normalcy to these
families and empower them to contribute positively.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact us. Thank you in advance for your
support.
Sincerely,
Nada Basir Project “Children at the Border” Coordinator, Canadian Libyan Council
Canada 613-699-6454, contact@canadianlibyancouncil.org
Rihab Elhaj, New Libya Foundation, President & Co-Founder
Tunisia 933 11744, Rihab@NewLibyaFoundation.org
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About the Operation Empower partners:
The Canadian Libyan Council (CLC)
The Canadian Libyan Council is a recently formed national umbrella organization representing
the interests of Canadian Libyans. CLC is dedicated to raising awareness, facilitating outreach,
and mobilizing humanitarian support for the Libyan people during these pressing and difficult
times.
www.canadianlibyancouncil.org
The New Libya Foundation (NLF)
The NLF’s mission is to nurture and fund civil society building initiatives in/for Libya. Our
vision is broad, with an immediate focus on the foundations of civil society: democracy,
leadership and full civic participation. At the interim, the NLF is working to empower Libyans
through civic participation in humanitarian aid projects.
The New Libya Foundation was incorporated in Washington, D.C. on Feb. 25, 2011 and is
currently awaiting 501(c)(3) tax exemption status from the U.S. Department of Internal Revenue
Service. All donations are tax deductable to the extent permitted by law.
www.NewLibyaFoundation.org
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Table Of Contents
Overview of Camps 5
Program Outline 6
Operations 9
Plan of Execution 11
Budget 12
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Overview of Camps
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Program Outline
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Target: Children
Objective:
To keep the children ages 2-16 engaged, educated and entertained while creating a sense of
normality to their life as refugees.
Benefits:
- Sense of normalization in scheduled activities
- Resuming educational curriculum through the summer.
- Attention on psychological and physical health
- Spacious playgrounds and recreational activities for engagement
Education
- Three classrooms holding roughly 25 students each keeping children engaged from 9am to
4pm.
- Hiring 3 Tunisian school teachers and 3 refugee volunteers
- Providing basic educational materials such as text books, notebooks, pencils, crayons and
book bags.
Physical Activity
- Outdoor recreation area and program during recess and the evening organized by a hired
Tunisian gym teacher or a volunteer assisted by 2 refugee volunteers.
- Provide sports equipment such as balls and jumping ropes.
Entertainment
- Media room with large television airing cartoons, programs and children’s movies.
* * 8
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Target: Women
Objective:
To empower women by engaging them in services to provide to other refugees and by offering
the female refugee’s services that educate, engage and heal.
Benefits
- Combating depression, PTSD, stress, anxiety
- Education, empowerment, skills building
- Community building, social engagement, entertainment
- Access to those in need of physical, psychological and psychiatric treatment
Education and Empowerment:
- A workshop/seminar room
- Partnering with organizations to offer empowerment and educational seminars every
evening. Programs would include education and coaching on physical, emotional and
mental well-being, parenting, relationships, reproductive health, gender based violence
and personal empowerment.
- Daily Islamic/Spirituality sessions or “Halaqa’s” held by a respected female religious
teacher to hold discussions, Quranic teachings and recitations.
Psychological and Physical Health:
- Large, enclosed outdoor area where women can freely walk without their veils for
extended periods of time.
- A psychological and mental well-being space/room where one full-time psychologist and
two social workers can work with women and children in need of treatment either in
groups or individually by scheduled appointment.
- The general engagement of female and child refugee’s in the running of the programs for
the purpose occupational therapy.
Entertainment and Relaxation:
- A kitchen where specialty meals and pastries can be prepared
- A dining area for communal meals and tea-time.
- Sewing machines for mending clothing and creating new pieces
- Books, magazines and internet access
- Drawing and art materials
- Beautification area with mirrors, make-up and manicure equipment
- Prayer area
- Nursery/childcare area
- Lounge with satellite television and a DVD player
* * 9
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Operations
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Location:
Tatouine, Tunisia. This small city is currently housing the largest number of Libyan refugees.
The center will be located in the former girls and boys scout facility, sitting less than 200 meters
from the Qatari refugee camp or in a centrally located elementary school building.
Capacity:
500 +
Staff:
*(mostly volunteers)
Center Management (6 people): Program Manager
Assistant Manager
Accountant
Technology Officer
Womens’ Program Officer
Children’s Program Officer
Psycho-Social Service (4 people): Psychologist
Social Workers (2 people)
Religious/Spiritual Counselor
Teachers (6 people)
Day Care (4 people)
Reception (4 people)
Sanitation (3 people)
Area Supervision (3 people)
TOTAL: 30 people
Operating Hours:
9am-10pm
*Ramadan hours 11am-2am
Transportation:
- Partnership with Tunisian shuttle service for hourly shuttle runs.
Additional Areas for Ideal Comfort:
- Bathrooms with Showers (as some camps are not equipped with comfortable showers)
- Two washers and a clothing hanging line (as most women currently hand wash)
* * 11
*
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Plan Execution
The plan for Operation Empower will be divided into stages depending on the finances and
manpower. The CLC and NLF will coordinate with the experienced groups/people already on
the ground in Tunisia or in the MENA region. We will also recruit professional volunteers from
Canada and US via the CLC and other organizations in North America through the North
American Libyan Council, with the hope of maximizing the benefits and lessening the burden
on all involved.
Stage 1:
Feasibility check and coordination with manufacturing facilities/suppliers, and manpower for
the following:
• Identify women amongst the group that are ‘champions’ to take leadership roles
• Suppliers and donors for school supplies and women’s recreational activities (chalk board,
books, computers, TV, sewing machines, hygiene products, chairs, tables ..etc.)
• Suppliers for raw materials for specialty food
• Continue to collect statistics on women and children at all other camps.
- Partner organizations and professionals for educational and specialty programs.
Stage 2:
Implementation of Operation Empower at one location by:
- Enter into service contracts with partnering organizations and sponsors.
• Purchasing of required materials to successfully implement Operation Empower.
• Setting up spaces for all or most of the above suggestions at one location.
• Train head volunteers to run and facilitate each of the programs or areas.
• Register and encourage camp residents to participate in Operation Empower.
Stage 3:
Expanding Operation Empower to other camps and other locations.
• We hope to have everything documented and create an easy to implement strategy for
other camp locations.
* * 12
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BUDGET
QTY Price per unit Total per units
1 4500 4500
1 1000 1000
1 500 500
1 1500 1500
1 1500 1500
Subtotal 9000
QTY Price per unit Total per units
30 20 600
30 20 600
30 20 600
Subtotal 1800
QTY Price per unit Total per units
75 65 4875
75 25 1875
3 50 150
10 5 50
6 5 30
78 3 234
78 10 780
25 7 175
100 0.7 70
100 0.7 70
75 15 1125
75 65 4875
75 22.5 1687.5
3 400 1200
3 0 0
Subtotal 17196.5
Electrical Bill
Water Bill
Security Service
Staff Training
Description
Specialized service
Psycho-Social Approaches
Center operations
Chalk (box)
Chalk Eraser
Description
Operational Cost
Rent location per month
Shuttle Service
Kids Classrooms: Centre will have 3 classrooms (25 students in each classroom)
Description
Notebook
Textbooks
Cryons (box)
Pen
Pencil
School bags
Snacks (1 month supply)
Bevarages
Hardware
Staff
Desk
Chair
Blackboard
Teacher
Teacher assistant (volunteers)
Snacks
QTY Price per unit Total per units
2 15 30
2 20 40
10 4.5 45
12 12 144
2 53 106
1 40 40
1 400 400
2 0 0
Subtotal 805
QTY Price per unit Total per units
1 1200 1200
1 65 65
1 300 300
1 300 300
1 65 65
1 800 800
1 200 200
1 600 600
25 25 625
1 300 300
2 15 30
1 0 0
Subtotal 4485
Volunteer (area manager)
Teacher (physical instructor)
Staff
Basket ball
Soft balls
Jump rope
Soccer Net
Basketball hoop
Kids Playground
Centre will have a play area/yard
Hardware
Description
Soccer ball
Description
Hardware
Area Manager (volunteer)
Staff
Arts and Crafts
TV stand
Seating pillows
Trashcan
Kids Recreation Room
Storage area/cabinets
Air conditioner
Carpeting
DVD programs (collection)
Satellite system
DVD player
52" T.V
QTY Price per unit Total per units
1 300 300
20 3 60
2 250 500
1 500 500
2 490 980
1 150 150
8 65 520
8 25 200
1 500 500
1 60 60
1 15 15
Subtotal 3785
QTY Price per unit Total per units
50 25 1250
1 300 300
1 1200 1200
1 300 300
1 65 65
1 300 300
1 200 200
3 30 90
1 0 0
Subtotal 3705
Women Recreation Area
Hardware
Description
Collection of Arabic Books
Magazines
Sewing machine
Sewing fabric and tools
Computer
Internet subscription and HW
Desk
Chair
Beautification materials
Miror
Trashcan
Satellite receiver
DVD player
DVD Collection
Storage area
Entertainment and Lounging room
Hardware
Description
Seating pillow
Carpet
52" T.V
coffee table
Staff
Area manager (volunteer)
QTY Price per unit Total per units
4 65 260
6 25 150
4 25 100
4 490 1960
1 150 150
1 140 140
1 500 500
1 300 300
1 1000 1000
1 700 700
1 700 700
1 300 300
1 400 400
1 400 400
Subtotal 7060
QTY Price per unit Total per units
3 65 195
2 25 50
2 25 50
2 490 980
1 200 200
1 300 300
1 60 60
1 200 200
1 200 200
1 700 700
2 400 800
1 400 400
Subtotal 4135
Printer - office jet 3 in 1
Telephone
Telephone
Operation Empowerment office
Hardware
Description
Womens Programs officer
Childrens Programs Officer
Desk
Chair
Computer
Internet access point
Office supplies
Storage area
Staff
Project Manager
Assistant Manager
Accountant
IT officer
Storage
Staff
psycologist
Psycho/Social Services
Hardware
Description
Desk
Chair
Designated therapy space and offices will be available
Table
Couch
Therapy materials
Computer
Office supplies
Social worker
Spiritual/Religious teacher
QTY Price per unit Total per units
1 30 30
1 300 300
10 25 250
3 90 270
5 30 150
1 1000 1000
1 800 800
15 20 300
20 4 80
1 500 500
1 2400 2400
1 600 600
2 0 0
2 400 800
Subtotal 7480
QTY Price per unit Total per units
20 7 140
2 400 800
1 20 20
1 2000 2000
4 800 3200
6 15 90
3 300 900
3 300 900
Subtotal 8050
Cleaning products
Mobile bathrooms
First aid kits
Cleaning services
Sanitation Crew
General Items
Hardware
Description
Electrical chord
Washer
Lines to dry clothes
Trash can
Nursing/Childcare
Designated area will be available for these activities
Hardware
Description
Bottle
Air conditioner
Staff
Volunteer
Baby hygiene
Paid staff
Bib
Baby toys
Baby folrmula
Change table
Rug
seating pillows
Playpen
Mattress
Diapers - 1 month supply
QTY Price per unit Total per units
1 300 300
2 65 130
8 25 200
1 25 25
1 500 500
2 15 30
2 0 0
2 300 600
Subtotal 1785
QTY Price per unit Total per units
5 2000 10000
5 1000 5000
5 60 300
2 900 1800
2 200 400
5 200 1000
Subtotal 18500
TOTAL TND 87,786.50
TND 41,412.50
TND 46,374.00
TND 170,611.50
USD 121,865.36
Staff accomodations and transpotaion
Description
Air fare
Accomodation (meals and housing)
Travelers insurance
Total for 3 months in TDN
Volunteer
Paid staff
Staff
Operational cost per month
Center cost (one time fee)
Car rental
Gas allowance
Miscellaneous (celleluar phones, medication,laundry)
Chair
Telephone
Office supplies
Trash can
Total for 3 months in USD
Reception/Registration Area
Designated area will be available for this service
Hardware
Description
Storage area
Desk

PROTEST AT GREEK EMBASSY AT 12.30 TODAY MONDAY 04 JULY

2011-07-04T07:21:00.000-07:00

Protest against complicity with Israel! Let the Flotilla go!!

Today at 12:30pm-2pm on 04 July 2011 at Embassy of Greece, 1 Upper Pembroke Street, Dublin, Ireland.

The Irish Anti War Movement is supporting this emergency protest called to highlight the complicity of the Greek Government in the siege of Gaza.

Last Friday the Greek Government prevented the sailing of ships as part of Freedom Flotilla II. The Greek Coastguard stopped the American ship 'The Audacity of Hope' at gunpoint five miles out to sea and forced it to return to port. The Captain of the ship was arrested and is still in custody. Passengers have commenced a protest fast outside the Israeli Embassy in Athens.
It seems the illegal and immoral siege of Gaza now extends roght across the Meditteranean Sea to Greece. It is shameful that the Greek Government should bow to Israeli, and possibly EU/IMF and US pressure, and be complicit in the continued subjugation of the Palestinian people.

Please come to the lunchtime protest today - even for a short time.

SABOTAGED by Israeli

2011-06-30T17:26:00.000-07:00

Protest 30th June 6pm at the Spire Dublin - Irish Ship to Gaza SABOTAGED by Israeli
Terrible news has reached us in the early hours of Thursday – the Irish Ship To Gaza, MV Saoirse, has been SABOTAGED, presumably by agents of Israel. The damage is extensive, and indeed, if it had gone undetected apparently may have been lıfe-threatenıng if the ship had been at sea.

This is an unacceptable act of aggression against an Irish vessel (which is sovereign Irish territory), against the Freedom Flotilla, and most importantly against the people of Palestine which this flotilla was intending to reach in an act of humanitarian solidarity.

Full details of the extent of the sabotage, including photos and video of the damage will be made available to the press later today.

The Irish Ship To Gaza have called an EMERGENCY DEMONSTRATION for TODAY in response to this outrageous act. We are calling on people to assemble at 6pm at the Spire in O’Connell Street. From there we will march to the Israeli Embassy and stage an overnight sit-in outside (so bring sleeping bags etc). We intend to shut down the Israeli Embassy!

Please watch this site for further updates.

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Pre-Trial Chamber I issues three warrants of arrest

2011-06-27T10:19:00.000-07:00

Press Release: 27.06.2011
Pre-Trial Chamber I issues three warrants of arrest for Muammar Gaddafi, Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi and Abdualla Al-Senussi
ICC-CPI-20110627-PR689

Pre-Trial Chamber I, composed of Judges Sanji Mmasenono Monageng (Presiding), Sylvia Steiner and Cuno Tarfusser, issues three warrants of arrest © ICC-CPI

Today, 27 June 2011, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued three warrants of arrest respectively for Muammar Mohammed Abu Minyar Gaddafi, Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi and Abdullah Al-Senussi for crimes against humanity (murder and persecution) allegedly committed across Libya from 15 February 2011 until at least 28 February 2011, through the State apparatus and Security Forces.

The Chamber, composed of Judges Sanji Mmasenono Monageng (Presiding), Sylvia Steiner and Cuno Tarfusser, considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that the three suspects committed the alleged crimes and that their arrests appear necessary in order to ensure their appearances before the Court; to ensure that they do not continue to obstruct and endanger the Court’s investigations; and to prevent them from using their powers to continue the commission of crimes within the jurisdiction of the Court.

The situation in Libya was referred to the ICC Prosecutor by the United Nations Security Council, through the unanimous adoption of Resolution 1970 on 26 February 2011. The Security Council decided, under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, that “the Libyan authorities shall cooperate fully with and provide any necessary assistance to the Court and the Prosecutor pursuant to this resolution” and, while recognizing that States not party to the Rome Statute have no obligations under the Statute, the Security Council urged all States and concerned regional and other international organisations to cooperate fully with the Court and the Prosecutor.

On 3 March 2011, the ICC Prosecutor decided to open an investigation and requested, on 16 May 2011, the issuance of the arrest warrants.

More information on this case is available here.

27.06.2011 - Decision on the "Prosecutor's Application Pursuant to Article 58 as to Muammar Mohammed Abu Minyar GADDAFI, Saif Al-Islam GADDAFI and Abdullah AL-SENUSSI"

27.06.2011 - Warrant of Arrest for Muammar Mohammed Abu Minyar Gaddafi

27.06.2011 - Warrant of Arrest for Saif Al-Islam Gaddafi

27.06.2011 - Warrant of Arrest for Abdullah Al-Senussi

Babies born to ethnic minorities outnumber number of white toddlers for first time in U.S. history

2011-06-24T08:11:00.000-07:00

Thursday, June 23, 2011

Ethnic minorities now make up the majority of babies in the United States, official figures revealed today.

It is the first time that this has been the case and the change reflects a growing age divide between mostly white, older Americans and predominantly minority youths that could reshape government policies.

Preliminary census estimates also show the share of African-American households headed by women – made up of mostly single mothers – now exceeds African-American households with married couples, a sign of declining U.S. marriages overall but also continuing challenges for black youths without involved fathers.

The findings, based on the latest government data, offer a preview of final 2010 census results being released this summer that provide detailed breakdowns by age, race and householder relationships such as same-sex couples.

2011-06-23T03:16:00.000-07:00

IAWM CALLS ON FOREIGN MINISTER EAMON GILMORE TO SEEK SAFE PASSAGE FOR GAZA FLOTILLA

IAWM PRESS RELEASE 20 JUNE 2011

- IAWM CALLS ON FOREIGN MINISTER EAMON GILMORE TO SEEK SAFE PASSAGE FOR GAZA FLOTILLA

- 25 IRISH PASSENGERS ON BOARD THE MV SAOIRSE ON FREEDOM FLOTILLA II – STAY HUMAN

In an open letter to Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore today, the Irish Anti War Movement (IAWM), one of whose Steering Committee members will participate in Freedom Flotilla II – Stay Human, requested that the Minister publicly call on the Israeli Government to allow free passage of the Irish ship to Gaza and for it to withdraw its threats of violent action against the flotilla participants.

The Freedom Flotilla will set sail for Gaza in the next 10 days and will consist of 11 ships from the United States, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, Ireland and elsewhere. Several hundred concerned citizens from around the world, supported by tens of thousands of small donations from ordinary people, will be passengers on board the ships. Cargo ships will carry Israeli-banned items such as reconstruction materials and medical equipment. The Saoirse will carry 25 passengers, including artist Felim Egan, former Leinster rugby player Trevor Hogan, Paul Murphy MEP, former TD Chris Andrews and several Councillors and activists.

The letter to Mr. Gilmore noted that some of his Oireachtas and party colleagues will be participating in the flotilla as well as many members of civil society and “many people of the Jewish faith ….. including 86-year old Hedy Epstein who lost her parents in the Holocaust.”

The letter written by Jim Roche, PRO of the IAWM, who will travel on board the Irish ship MV Saoirse further noted: “Minister, the people of Gaza are being slowly starved and are being completely deprived of their human rights to live in dignity. This is happening while the Governments of the world remain silent and is the reason why concerned citizens from around the world have organised this humanitarian flotilla.

He continued: “Given Ireland’s long history of empathy with oppressed peoples I urge you now to lead the way among Foreign Ministers of the world and to call on Israel to end the illegal siege of Gaza, to comply with relevant UN resolutions and the Geneva Convention, to allow safe passage for the Freedom Flotilla and to withdraw its threat of violence against the peaceful participants.”

He concluded by calling on Minister Gilmore “to be on the right side of history and to openly condemn the continued oppression of the Palestinian people by a state practicing apartheid policies.”

Full text of letter below.

END

Video Exposing Google Chief Schmidt Censored by You Tube

2011-06-20T01:50:00.000-07:00

Google-owned You Tube has sensationally censored a video clip showing CEO Eric Schmidt at the 2011 Bilderberg Group conference, by removing the “honors” associated with the Alex Jones Channel and preventing the clip from going viral, while You Tube has also threatened to terminate the account altogether after baseless accusations of racism were made against an Obama Joker video for the second time.

48 Comments

‘This can’t be justified’: 7 civilians die in NATO friendly fire

At least seven civilians in Libya have been killed by a NATO airstrike which hit a residential area overnight.

62 Comments

Germany slams NATO mission in Libya

Germany’s Defense Minister Thomas de Maziere has criticized NATO’s controversial military operation in Libya and lack of foresight when it comes to intervening in the North African country.

12 Comments

The Elite’s Plan for Global Extermination Exposed by Dr. Webster Tarpley

In this interview, Dr. Tarpley reviews the writings of John P. Holdren, the current White House science advisor. This interview conclusively exposes scientific elite’s true agenda, world-wide genocide and the formation of a global government to rule.

64 Comments

The Collapse of Nations All By The Hand Of Corrupt Bankers

As far as we can discern the US Treasury thus far has spent and borrowed about $100 billion from the federal pension accounts.

26 Comments

Trading Of Over The Counter Gold And Silver To Be Illegal Beginning July 15

One small step toward Executive Order 6102 part 2, and one giant leap for corruptcongressmankind.

51 Comments

UK banks abandon eurozone over Greek default fears

UK banks have pulled billions of pounds of funding from the eurozone as fears grow about the impact of a “Lehman-style” event connected to a Greek default.

6 Comments

Ron Paul Wins RLC Straw Poll in a Landslide

Ron Paul won the Republican Leadership Conference straw poll by a landslide in New Orleans Saturday.

36 Comments

Clinton on Syria: Astounding Lies, Zero Legitimacy

Out of either desperation or immeasurable hubris, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has just attempted to rewrite the last 3 months of history, contradicting her own department’s statements made during the onset of the Syrian unrest.

64 Comments

Sen. Al Franken: Congress must vote on Libya

Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) said that congressional approval would be needed to authorize continued U.S. military intervention in Libya.

37 Comments

What Is Wrong With Libya’s Education?

2011-06-15T11:17:00.000-07:00

BY MAAD M. EL-GALI

One of the reasons why Libyans have revolted against the forty- two-year-old regime of Muammar Algaddafi is education. Despite the huge revenues that our country has been making over the past four decades, our educational system remains one of the worst in the world. It is no wonder since this was ‘the devil’s plan’ to control this great nation as long as possible. Since Muammar Algaddafi became the de-facto President of Libya by assuming power after his so-called ‘the 1969 revolution’, he certainly knew that his rule would not last as long as there was a generation of well-educated Libyans capable of challenging his eccentric ideology and unraveling his everlasting deception and sordid maneuvers. Having realized that, he worked on harassing existing generation of intellectuals at that time and destroying the generations yet to come by providing the most horrendous environment for education. He first made sure that the authority lay in the hand of those who were willing to achieve his malicious goals, and of course who were devout members of his new cult, the so-called ‘revolutionary committees’. Not surprisingly, those new officials were the least educated individuals who suffered from inferiority complexes and who did not have the right credentials for the right capacity. Consequently, they have bestowed those who believed in the devil’s doctrine generous opportunities which they did not deserve, and they have prevented intellectuals from flourishing and pursuing a better education. As a result of this, favoritism became widespread and justice hard to come across.

This is how power got invested in the wrong people and the conspiracy to marginalize a nation began. First, they distorted the history of Libya and its heroes, they tarnished the reputation of many nobles and dignitaries in order to glorify one psychopathic megalomaniac who thought of himself to be a god. Second, they started their desperate endeavor to instill his ridiculous and unrealistic thoughts of ‘a revolution and a green book’ in our national curriculums. Third, they took languages like English and French off the curriculums in the 1980s to execute one of his malignant plans to isolate Libyans; they even branded those who used English and French once as unpatriotic and another as loyal to the West. They would not stop at that, they also made school subjects a tool to impose some fantasies and mere delusions like those of naming his ‘great-man river’ the eighth wonder of the world and making his ‘green book’ the long-anticipated solution for humanity and its predicaments. On the top of all that, they kept the curriculums through all stages including the tertiary education out-of-date and sometimes stuffed to reinforce isolation upon people so they could not catch up with others. With insufficient budget and a lot of embezzlement, our schools and universities have become unwanted places to be in. Most of these institutions have not been renovated for a while with their unpainted, cracked and overcrowded classrooms, unmaintained sanitary system and the lack of labs, high-tech equipment and libraries.

Muammar Algaddafi has done everything to destroy the future generations of Libya, but he has failed to break the will and the gallantry of the youth who now have risen up to topple him. A ray of hope for Libya is finally shining at the horizon and a better future for all of us is approaching with steady and confident steps. We are about to start a new era, a ‘Muammar-Algaddafi-free’ era during which we will build the best educational system in the region, if not in the world, and we will make Libya one great nation.

Steps Towards A Better Education

2011-06-15T11:15:00.000-07:00

Since the inception of the 17th of February Revolution there have been several talks over the crisis of education during the brutal and ignorant rule of Muammar Gaddafi and how he deprived people of their basic right and that is, of course, a good education that prepares them for tomorrow’s challenges. So far we have talked about our desire to get a better education for ourselves and the next generations. Yet, we haven’t put a clear vision of what we want to achieve in this specific area. One could ask the next questions. How do we define the concept of a good education and what is the purpose of it? What kind of educational system needed in Libya today? And what do we want to accomplish eventually?
To answer these legitimate questions, there is no shame to look around and learn from other nations how they define a good education, and what components or elements they have comprised a good education of. For our argument we are going to refer to the education in the United States of America. Although the USA does not come first for its educational excellence, it has always been known for its diversity and flexibility in the educational process. We all agree that education should remain funded by the government until the age of eighteen, however; being provided by the public sector does not mean tolerating with low standards of teaching like the ones we have witnessed over the last forty two years in Libya. In addition, before embarking on the mission of reforming our education, there is a more significant mission that needs to be accomplished and that is a change of the people’s perspective on education. Over the last four decades people thought that the only reason for going to school and college was to get a job at the end of the process. The idea of educating themselves and polishing up their skills and talents was never considered. This is why there is this strong association in the minds of students between the definition of success and the passing of exams, but once these exams are passed, the students cannot remember the information they have been taught over an extensive period of time. People now should think of education as a process of enlightening themselves first. In other words, people ought to seek education solely for the sake of education.
We want to establish a new educational system with high standards. This system has to enjoy the right ingredients for success and they are a lucid educational mission, efficient and responsible educational board officials, excellent curricula and competent teachers. These four, together, will provide a secular education to all Libyan students, ‘‘secular’’ in the sense that extremism and Alqaeda-inspired ideology won’t find their way into the mind of our offspring. Moreover; this system will be founded on the principle of awarding the higher achievers after passing standardized tests like the SAT (Scholarly Aptitude Test) and GRE (Graduate Record Test) ,which are used in the USA to enroll in undergraduate and graduate studies, and giving support to the lower achievers and letting them know that they have what it takes to make it, but they just don’t know how to utilize their god-given abilities. Moving to the Libyan National Curricula, the educational experts have to avoid designing textbooks full of redundancy, they have to design textbooks according to the ability of the students at a certain age. More importantly, these textbooks have to be up-to-date with what is going on in the field of science, technology and other areas to provide students with the knowledge of universal concepts and issues. Libyan students have always been sneered at because of their ignorance of general topics that peers of other nations know about, therefore; more attention has to be directed towards building up the personalities and skills of the students by providing courses on reading literacy, oratory, critical thinking, real-life problem solving, public speeches and debates to exercise their rights such as, the freedom of expression at early ages. However; these textbooks, no matter how many times being updated, mustn't be associated with any ‘‘current’’ politician or political party. Like in the USA, our educational system has to be comprised of core courses and electives. Core courses include math, science, literature, second languages (English and French), social Science, history (teaching the history of Libya and the world). Electives may include fine arts, physical education, computers, visual arts and health courses. In addition, extracurricular activities ought to be part of any school program. These activities may vary from athletics competitions, music clubs, and chess clubs to community services.
In-service training for teachers is another issue that has be taken care of. Teachers must be trained periodically during their ongoing work even when they have acquired enough experience. The purpose of this training is to make teachers aware of the new methods of teaching which are used in other countries like the USA. Teachers should be acquainted with terms like ‘‘interactive teaching and learning’’ in which the information is provided by both the teacher and his students, and where the teacher has to show the students how to be independent learners by building up their research skills via self-study, library-and-internet-based assignments and group discussions. First and last, Libyan teachers have to be trained on how to deal with school students in a way that strengthens the relationship between the teachers and their students, a relationship which is based on mutual respect, trust and cooperation, not on violence and intimidation, therefore; corporal punishment at our schools should be frowned upon. No teacher should be allowed to hit or torture a student no matter how unacceptable the behavior of the student might be, for we want our students to feel that they are at school, not inside a penitentiary or a correction center.
Maad M. El-gali

Libyan School Teachers: The Underprivileged

2011-06-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

Libyan school teachers have always had a notorious reputation for a mediocre performance and an appalling quality of teaching. So what is the reason behind that? Are teachers just slacking off? Or there is a reason for this pattern. Well! We all know that teachers have always been mocked and discredited by the society because of common perception held by people of those who decide to pursue a teaching career; they consider the job of a teacher an inferior one, for they think that a good job means being a doctor or an engineer, but never a teacher.

Despite all the ungrateful attitudes towards teachers, there seems to be another reason why teachers perform poorly at school. Being curious myself and yearning to uncover this mystery, I decided to do some researching to find information about the conditions and earnings of teachers elsewhere in the globe and I came down to this shocking revelation; Libyan teachers are not doing well because of the money they are paid. Our Libyan teachers are paid the lowest salaries for the sizeable amount of effort they are putting in to raise and educate the future generations in this country. Here is a comparison between the monthly payments of beginning teachers (with no experience) and experienced teachers in Libya and elsewhere in the region and the world. Both categories of teachers have bachelor’s degrees in their chosen fields:

Country	Beginning teachers US. Dollars $	Experienced teachers US. Dollars $
United Arab Emirates	3350	5500
United States of America	2975	4500
United Kingdom	2600	4050
Libya	144	360

A Study by World of Education 2005

From this study, we realize that Libya is paying the lowest salaries among the four countries shown above, and this is the reason of the mediocrity of our school teachers. It is true that teachers should be well-qualified, inspiring, resourceful and dedicated, but these fine features seem not to be covered by such a low salary. This is why the best teachers decide to find other jobs that pay more, and we end up with recruiting less qualified teachers in the sector. One may challenge my investigation and say Libya is not like the other three countries which enjoy free economy and democracy, so I hold my argument further and say that Libya should be at the same level of the other three for a simple reason; Libya is an oil-rich country and has the third biggest oil reservoir in Africa and we come third on the list of oil-exporting countries in the Middle East after Saudi Arabia and Algeria. In addition. In Libya itself and over the last five years there have been people whom are paid big salaries for the same effort teachers make. Let’s take an engineer who works at a telecommunications company, he is paid around 1200 Libyan Dinars ($960) as a beginning salary and the salary goes up to 1600 Libyan Dinars ($1280) as he gets more experienced on the job. Or let’s take a doctor who works at a hospital, he is paid around 900 Libyan Dinars ($720). Aren’t teachers the same people who taught those who became engineers and doctors at school? Can engineers and doctors ever fulfill their accomplishments today without being taught by teachers?. The answer is simply NO. the teacher’s job is a fine and crucial one, but unfortunately little recognition is given to it.

Today as we plan for a democratic and constitutional Libya, and with all the reforms that we are committed to undertaking, the sector of education should be given the priority ,for a Free Libya begins with a better educational system where teachers feel the appreciation and the gratitude for the effort they are making. In our Free Libya teachers should be paid decent salaries for the work they do to initiate our children, equal to those paid to teachers in other countries, and to other professions in Libya.

By Maad M. El-gali

Sarkozy Inspires the World

2011-06-11T10:24:00.000-07:00

Sarkozy Inspires the World

A peaceful people cried out for their freedom. Across the Mediterranean, a man heard their cries and took it upon himself to protect the Libyan people from a monstrous tyrant. He came to their rescue, not because he came from the same background, not because he believed in the same religion; he came because he was a man who believed in justice and liberty. It was a race against time to save a people from the threat of total annihilation. Yes, it was a race against time, but the time wasn’t as late as Saif had said. This despot lived by the ancient doctrine of “rape and pillage,” as we learned from a former minister with a strange name: soldiers were told to kill rape and destroy whatever lay in their path. These were terrifying times; indeed the entire world was fearful. The man across the sea came to the rescue of a powerless people. His brave stand and leadership encouraged the world to act. Due to his aid, they are alive today to extend their most heartfelt gratitude. Two hundred citizens of Benghazi were asked a simple question: What would you say to President Sarkozy if you could speak to him? These are their responses: 35% said they were deeply grateful; 32% said they will never forget him; 23% said that they love him; only 10% said that he could have done more. Personally, I have never been to France and I have never met any French people. Because of this one man’s courageous and generous defiance against a tyrant, I have a wonderful appreciation of the French people. President Sarkozy, God bless you!

By: Reem Elbreki

Irish Ship to Gaza: Update and Final Financial Appeal

2011-06-05T13:22:00.001-07:00

Please see below an appeal by Fintan Lane regarding the Irish Ship to Gaza. Please forward to friends you think may wish to support the new Flotilla.

Here also is a link to Claudia Saba's article regarding the Flotilla in today's Irish Times.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/opinion/2011/0531/1224298147970.html.

Update and Final Financial Appeal for Irish Ship to Gaza

Dear all,
A quick update on the Irish ship that will participate in the forthcoming flotilla to Gaza.
On Wednesday evening, our crew (Shane Dillon [skipper], Pat Fitzgerald and John Hearne) sailed it from its storage location and, after an overnight passage, arrived on Thursday morning at a new berth in a country close to our port of departure. Everything went smoothly and the vessel is in excellent condition.

The boat is now positioned for the flotilla and we will depart for the assembly coordinates in international waters on the weekend of 24-25 June.
The cost of moving the boat to the departure position in terms of fuel was about E6,000. The boat itself is fully paid for - the price of E70,000 was covered by donations from the extraordinary ordinary people of Ireland.
However, it will cost us an additional E10,000 for fuel to sail to Gaza and we have not yet got that money - we need to raise it asap, so I am urging all those who support Freedom Flotilla 2 - Stay Human to please make every effort to solicit or make donations. We urgently need to raise roughly E14,000 before we sail in order to cover fuel and other misc expenses including satellite technology.
At this stage, it is hard cash that we require rather than ideas on how to raise the money.
Donations can be made by cheque (make out to 'Irish Ship to Gaza' and post to Fintan Lane, 12 Lennox Place, Portobello, Dublin 8), put directly into the ISTG bank account or made via paypal; for details go to www.irishshiptogaza.org
Irish Art for Gaza prints can also still be purchased with all proceeds going to the ship: www.irishart4gaza.com
Care/act - please show your solidarity with the people of Gaza by donating towards the Irish ship. Let's show the world that Ireland cares and wants an immediate end to this immoral and illegal siege!
Warmest regards,

Fintan Lane

National Coordinator

Irish Ship to Gaza
http://www.irishshiptogaza.org

How democratic is Libya's opposition?

2011-05-25T22:57:00.000-07:00

Three weeks ago I was in eastern Libya to assess the conflict and get an understanding of how things were likely to turn out. More than three months since the uprising began, there are still many questions unanswered. Chief among these is the question of who the opposition actually is, how it governs and what shape it will take in the near future.

Libya's official opposition movement is the Transitional National Council (TNC). It was established a week after the initial uprising began in Benghazi and is headed by Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the Libyan regime's former justice minister. Its underlying purpose is to give the armed uprising in Libya an organisational structure that allows it to effectively end more than 40 years of brutal dictatorship.

The formation of the TNC was a necessity. Perhaps unlike others in the region, the Libyan revolution needed leadership and organisation. By that same measure, however, the creation of the TNC provides for a number of uncertainties that must be addressed.

Libyans maintain they have shed too much blood to find themselves confronted with another dictatorship. When I asked what they thought of the TNC and Jalil in Benghazi's shisha cafes, the average Libyan would praise them both before adding: "but we don't want dictatorship". Similarly, when probed about the future, they would express their desire to see elections and political parties.

When I spoke to TNC officials in Benghazi, they were adamant that elections would be held once the country is liberated. Yet, the conundrum for them is what if the current status quo, whereby you have a self-governing autonomous region in the east and a Gaddafi-controlled west, continues for another five or even 10 years.

When I put this question to a TNC delegation that came to London two weeks ago to see David Cameron, their answer was that this scenario was not an ideal one. In other words, it is yet to be prepared for.

The dilemma is two-fold. First, to hold elections in the east without the participation of western Libya essentially equates with partitioning the country. At the same time, however, Libyans will not allow a so-far unaccountable TNC to continue making decisions for the future and managing extensive funds that are coming its way. The Libyan population still worry about corruption.

Other opposition groups, based in both the west and Libya, recognise the TNC and welcome its creation but remind that no one has elected them and that there is still no transparency.

So far, the TNC has released the names of only 13 of its 30-member leadership council, out of security concerns since some members represent areas under regime control. Five seats have been reserved for the young, February 17 revolutionary committee that instigated the protests against Gaddafi.

TNC members have been co-opted on the basis of their expertise and the extent to which they were linked with the regime. Along with Jalil, who in the past gained prominence by outspokenly criticising Gaddafi, other defectors include former interior minister Abdul Fatah Younes (now defence) and Mahmoud Jibril, the current foreign minister who used to head Gaddafi's National Economic Development Board (closed down in recent years because of corruption).

Perhaps as influential as Jalil is Mahmoud Shammam, head of media and a former editor of Foreign Policy magazine's Arabic edition. Shammam, who used to sit on the board of al-Jazeera, is the link between the TNC and the Qatari government, which has invested heavily in the TNC through money and arms.

The existence of influential and prominent figures, such as Shammam and Jalil, means that power struggles are not unlikely in the near future. Prominent officials have already started to appoint their own personal associates and allies on to the council.

The danger is that such potential power struggles, combined with generally unaccountable leadership, provide an environment conducive to violent instability. Rumours of assassinations in Benghazi of regime loyalists or anyone "perceived" to be a loyalist have increased. Further, as a more efficient and organised TNC military emerges, there is nothing to stop military circles from becoming personal militia groups answering only to powerful TNC officials.

This renders it imperative for the TNC to begin addressing its democratic and accountability deficit – sooner rather than later.

While elections are not feasible right now, this does not mean there can be no consultative process with the broader Libyan society. Ambitious and older politicians, for example, have been criticised for sidelining the young revolutionaries of the February 17 committee, who are also disfranchised as a result of the vast influx of former Gaddafi men into the TNC.

Nevertheless, it is important to maintain perspective. No matter how unseemly it may be to outsiders, nepotism and other forms of personalised appointments may be the only real guarantee of loyalty at a point when the uprising is still sensitive to penetration by the regime and individuals still vulnerable to being compromised or, at worst, being killed by regime loyalists.

The road to freedom will be long and rocky. But it does not mean Libyans, and their western backers, cannot start thinking ahead and ensuring another war in the east does not erupt before the current one is ended or, alternatively, ensuring another dictatorship does not emerge before the current one is defeated.

widespread use of rape and other sexual violence as tactical war weapon

2011-05-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

To Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo, Chief Prosecutor

Office of the Prosecutor of the International

Criminal Court (ICC)

Post Office Box 19519 - 2500 CM The Hague

otp.informationdesk@icc-cpi.int
2 May 2011

Dear Mr. Moreno-Ocampo,

Subject: widespread use of rape and other sexual violence as tactical war weapon

As you prepare to brief the UN Security Council on June 4th on the progress made by the tribunal for the implementation of resolution 1970 which was unanimously voted by the Council on Saturday, 26 February 2011. It decided, in particular “to refer the situation in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya since 15 February 2011 to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court”. In this context the Libyan League for Human Rights would like to inform you that it has, during the last few days, received from Libya several consistent horrifying reports of widespread sexual assaults by Colonel Qaddhafi’s troops against women and children. Young Libyan girls and boys as young as eight are being raped and abused. Others have been tortured being forced to watch as their fathers were murdered and their mothers raped.

Rape and sexual abuse in general, has been historically recorded as one of the spoils of war, an inevitable feature of military conflict like pillage and looting. What is new about the situation in Libya is the attention it is receiving – and the recognition that it is being extensively used by Colonel Qaddhafi, as a deliberate military tactic against his political opponents and a political weapon to preclude attempts to rebel against his totalitarian rule and to deter defiance to that rule. This is what explains that crimes of rape and other sexual abuses are being committed in particularly sadistic ways to inflict maximum humiliation on victims, their families, and on the whole community: In many cases women and children are abused in their own home, sometimes in front of their relatives. In other cases - as in the aggression against Iman Al-Obeidi the 28 years old the Libyan lady who burst, on the 25th of March into Hotel Rixos in Tripoli where foreign journalists are based shouting that she was raped by colonel Qaddhafi militiamen- victims are held in camps for days and raped repeatedly by gangs of soldiers.

We understand that Security Council Resolution 1820 (2008) considers in its preamble that rape and other forms of sexual violence when used or commissioned as a tactic of war in order to deliberately target civilians or as a part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilian populations, can significantly exacerbate situations of armed conflict and may impede the restoration of international peace and security. In the same context paragraph 4 that resolution stresses that rape and other forms of sexual violence constitute a war crime, a crime against humanity, or a constitutive act with respect to genocide. That Resolution therefore stressed the importance of ending impunity for such acts as part of a comprehensive approach to seeking sustainable peace, justice, truth, and national reconciliation and called upon all Member States to comply with their obligations for prosecuting persons responsible for such acts, to ensure that all victims of sexual violence, particularly women and children have equal protection under the law and equal access to justice. We trust that your briefing to the Security Council on May 4th will include a chapter on the Security Council Resolution 1820 (2008) in light of the widespread use by the troops of colonel Qaddhafi of rape and other forms of sexual violence as a tactical weapon in the war he declared against the Libyan people. Meanwhile the Libyan League for Human Rights is confident that your office will take the appropriate actions to completely cease all crimes of sexual violence perpetrated by Qaddhafi troops against Libyan women and children.

We thank you in advance for your attention to this pressing matter.

Sliman Bouchuiguir (Ph-D)

Secretary General

PROTEST OBAMA'S WARS

2011-05-20T03:42:00.000-07:00

IAWM TO PROTEST RE OBAMA'S WARS - THIS SUNDAY, 2PM, GPO, O' CONNELL STREET, DUBLIN.

IRISH ANTI WAR MOVEMENT (IAWM)

PRESS STATEMENT – 19TH MAY 2011

On the occasion of President Obama Barrack’s visit to Ireland the Irish Anti War Movement announces:

· Anti War protest to oppose Obama’s wars next Sunday 22nd May at 2 pm at the G.P.O. on O’Connell Street.

· Speakers include Richard Boyd Barrett TD, Mick Wallace TD, Robert Ballagh, US and Bahraini speakers and others.

The statement noted the intention of the protest was to:

· Oppose the farcically named ‘War on Terror’ and the continued occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan

· Oppose the continued use of Shannon Airport as a US military base

· Oppose the detention of US soldier Bradley Manning and the indefinite detention of inmates in Guantanamo bay with no charge or trial.

· Oppose the interference of the US in the Arab revolutions

The Irish Anti War movement in a statement released today announced that they will be holding a protest on Sunday at 2pm to oppose the continued US military occupation and racist wars taking place in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Since Barack Obama's inauguration in Jan 2009 over 2600 civilians have been killed in Afghanistan, many of them from drone attacks ordered by Obama. The UN says that civilian deaths increased to a record high last year. Obama must be held to account for his role in this senseless waste of life. Many officials in the US have admitted that the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable and that Karsai’s government is corrupt. During a recent speech Obama made it clear that even after the assassination of Osama Bin Laden the ‘war on terror’ is not over.

The IAWM statement noted that “US troops should be removed from Afghanistan and Iraq immediately and the people of these countries be allowed to determine their own future.”

The statement notes that the Anti War movement opposes the detention of the US soldier Bradley Manning under suspicion of passing classified material to Wikileaks. This material included footage of a US Apache helicopter firing on unarmed civilians in New Baghdad in 2007. 11 were killed. No charges were filed against American soldiers in the Apache helicopter, however Bradley Manning faces 52 years imprisonment. He has suffered torturous conditions during the year that he has been imprisoned including solitary confinement, denial of meaningful exercise, social interaction, sunlight, and was at times kept completely naked. The IAWM statement noted:

“The Irish Anti War Movement believes that the exposure of war crimes should not be an offense and the illegal pre–trial punishment already suffered by Bradley Manning should be enough legal basis for the US government to drop the case.”

The statement continued to note that the detention of prisoners in Guantanamo indefinitely without trial or charge by the US government was unacceptable. On his inauguration President Barrack Obama pledged to close this torture camp within a year of taking up office. Over two years later there are still 172 prisoners held at Guantanamo with no prospect of trial or release. Among these prisoners are an 89 year old Afghan villager with dementia and a 14 year old kidnap victim. On the 7th March this year President Obama signed an executive order authorising indefinite detention for those held at Guantanamo and approved further military commission trials for detainees there.

“The Irish Anti War movement notes the continued disgrace of Guantanamo and demands justice, dignity and human rights for the detainees.”

The statement further noted that the Irish Anti War Movement strongly opposes the continued use of Shannon as a US military transport hub. Barack Obama declared the end of US combat mission in Iraq in August 2010. However since then over 600 commercial airlines carrying troops and cargo have landed in Shannon. During the wars in Iraq in Afghanistan an average of 600 troops a day have passed through Shannon. The IAWM supports the campaign to terminate the use of Shannon airport by US troop in line with our neutral status.

Richard Boyd Barrett TD and Chair of the IAWM said:

"The whole world celebrated the election victory of Barack Obama believing it would bring an end to the disastrous era of George W Bush – an era which had resulted in such terrible suffering for the people of Iraq and Afghanistan. The joy felt by people in the US and across the world flowed precisely from the belief that Obama would halt the warmongering polices of Bush and bring to an end such obscenities as the CIA’s renditions (kidnap and torture) programme or the horrors of Guantanamo Bay. Obama has cruelly betrayed those hopes. He has continued the brutal war in Afghanistan, escalating it with continuous bombing of that impoverished country and neighbouring Pakistan – killing thousands more innocent people. The renditions programme continues and Guantanamo remains open. Worse than that, the US continues to support and arm vicious dictatorships in Saudi and other Gulf states that are brutally crushing popular movements for democracy, such as that in Bahrain. Obama has continued US support for Israel despite its on-going persecution of the Palestinian people and denial of their most basic human rights.”

Richard Boyd Barrett continued: “The Dispatches programme shown this week on RTE about the impact of the Iraq war on over 2 million Iraqi’s, who were forced to flee their homes and are now living in the most apalling circumstances as refugees, provided a shocking reminder of the consequences of US led wars and highlighted the abysmal failure of Obama to undo wrongs committed against the Iraqi people.”

“It is not out of any hostility to the American people that we feel obliged to protest during Barack Obama’s visit but precisely from a sense of internationalism and solidarity with innocent people who are suffering and dying as a result of Obama’s foreign policy – whether the victims of those policies be young US soldiers or innocent people in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bahrain, Palestine or elsewhere.”

For more information contact;

Richard Boyd Barrett TD, Chair Steering Committee IAWM. Tel. 086 781 4520

Michael Youlton, Co-Chair Steering Committee IAWM. Tel. 086 815 9487

Jim Roche, PRO Steering Committee IAWM. Tel. 087 6472737

Lola Hynes, Steering Committee IAWM. Tel. 086 822 8795

www.irishantiwar.org

Free Mr. Hassan Mariami

2011-05-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

15th May 2011

PRESS RELEASE

Free Mr. Hassan Mariami
And free all Political Prisoners Of Conscious In Libya
Contact: (Waeel Tel: 0925308828 or Bashir 0928773043 arayahro@yahoo.ie)

Hassan Hassan Al Mariami, also known as Shnabu El Zawiyaa is one of thousands of political prisoners that were targeted, and captured by the Ghadaffi regime and has consistently been tortured for the past two months just because he expressed a desire for freedom and democracy. Shnabu El Zawiyaa was a successful businessman before the 17th February Revolution, but when the youth of Libya stood up and protested for a better Libya, he and countless a number of Libyans were kidnapped and imprisoned and are the subject of daily unthinkable physical and mental persecution.
At the start of 17th February revolution Shnabu El Zawiyaa stood up, holding a poster demanding freedom for the Libyan people. He became one of the icons of the revolution calling for self determination and democracy. “The women, children, men, and political prisoners like Shnabu el Zawiyaa who have undergone ridiculous acts of harassment and violations of human rights. He is one of the victims whose cause and circumstances must be shouted out for all the world to hear, said Oliver Kellman, the Managing Director and CEO of The OKW Group, currently in Benghazi, Libya. “Posters showing Shnabu El Zawiyaa can be seen all over Libya. Courageously, he stood up and defied the oppressive Ghaddafi regime because he could not live another day without true freedom.”
Araya Human rights organization, Tawasel and the OKW Group, demand the immediate release of Hassan Hassan Al Mariami and the thousands political prisoners of conscience, and holds Gaddafi regime responsible before the international court of justice if Mr. Al Mariami dies or persecuted.

Administration
Declaration by:
Araya Human Rights Organization
Tawasel News agency (Bengazi)
OKW Group

GRANDMOTHER OF BRITISH SOLDIER KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN and ex-SAS SOLDIER TO SPEAK AT IAWM ANTI WAR PROTEST, IRISH ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT (IAWM)

2011-05-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

PRESS STATEMENT – 16 MAY 2011

On the occasion of the Queen’s visit to Ireland the Irish Anti-war Movement holds Black Balloon Protest.

· BRITISH GRANDMOTHER OF A SOLDIER KILLED IN AFGHANISTAN AND AN ex-SAS SOLDIER AND IRAQ WAR VETERAN TO SPEAK AT BLACK BALLOON PROTEST AGAINST WAR, TUESDAY, 6.30PM AT THE GPO, O’ CONNELL STREET.

· REMEMBER THE MULTITUDE OF DEAD VICTIMS AT THE HANDS OF THE QUEEN’S FORCES IN THE WARS IN IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN.

· SPEAKERS INCLUDE JOAN HUMPHREYS, BEN GRIFFIN, RICHARD BOYD BARRETT TD (CHAIR IAWM), ROGEL COLE (CHAIR PANA), CLLR. BRID SMITH, PBP AND OTHERS.

The Irish Anti-war Movement in a statement released today noted that to coincide with the Queen's visit to Ireland, it will be holding a black balloon protest at the GPO tomorrow evening (Tuesday) at 6.30pm, as a reminder of the thousands killed in Afghanistan and Iraq at the hands of western troops. This includes the deaths of young British troops, many of who joined the army purely to improve their economic circumstances - only to be killed or maimed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

The statement noted that her Majesty's Armed Forces, as one of the major contingents of foreign troops, has been directly responsible for appalling human suffering in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Afghan occupation is now entering its tenth year, and in recent weeks has seen a further escalation of violence. Many officials in Britain and America, such as former Democratic leader Howard Dean for example, have openly admitted that the war in Afghanistan is unwinnable and that Karsai’s government is corrupt. Various polls in Britain have shown an overwhelming desire among the British people for the troops to come home. Yet the Queen’s forces still occupy that country and continue to play a significant role in the subjugation, harassment and murder of its people.

Joan Humphreys, a British woman who lost her soldier grandson in Afghanistan and who will speak at the protest said:

“The Black Balloon protest on the 17th May organised by the Irish Anti-war Movement is a unique way of showing the British Government and the Queen the strength of opposition to the unacceptable wars in which the UK are involved. The Queen has equal responsibility, along with the British Government, for the thousands of deaths, for the killing and maiming of tens of thousands of civilians and also for the deaths of British service personnel. Her own grandson was removed from active service in Afghanistan as soon as there was any chance of him being maimed or killed. This is not an option for the other British soldiers who are serving there or for the Afghan combatants and civilians who are suffering in their own country. All foreign troops should be removed from Afghanistan and Iraq now to allow the people of these countries to decide their own destiny.”

Ben Griffin, an ex SAS soldier and Iraq war veteran, who will also speak at the protest, said: “I will be in Dublin during the visit of Elizabeth Windsor to stand in solidarity with people who actively believe in Peace and Independence, as opposed to the Wars and Empire represented by Her.”

Richard Boyd Barrett TD, Chair of the IAWM said:

"There is a deliberate attempt by the government and some sections of the media to paint all those who might protest against the Queens visit as bitter and sectarian. However, there are very legitimate and current reasons motivating our protest. It is precisely because the Irish Anti-War Movement is thoroughly internationalist that it feels obliged to protest against British warmongering and imperialism in Afghanistan and the Middle East.

We are standing in solidarity with the beleaguered people of Afghanistan who have had to suffer ten years of murderous occupation and war at the hands of Britain and other allied military powers - resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands of Afghanis, Pakistanis and hundreds of young British soldiers.

Britain, along with the US and other western countries, also continues to support and arm brutal dictatorships, particularly in the Gulf States where those regimes are, as we speak, attempting to crush popular movements for democracy, particularly in Bahrain.

As the head of the British armed forces, the Queen is a key part and symbol of that machine of war and empire. We would be abdicating our responsibility as peace activists and internationalists if we failed to register protest at the time of her visit.”

The statement also condemned the restrictions on postering during the Queen’s visit, the sinister and systematic removal of posters and the harassment of anti war activists by members of the Garda.

Jim Roche, PRO of the Steering Committee, concluded the statement by noting:

“It is amazing that the Irish people have been burdened with the massive cost of this extravagant visit – now estimated at €30 million - and that ordinary people have been restricted from protesting peacefully, organisations have had posters removed and anti war activists have been harassed by the Garda.”

“The Queen, as the head of the British armed forces, must be held to account for the wanton waste of human life and resources in Iraq and Afghanistan. That is why the Irish Anti-war Movement is holding this black balloon protest during her visit to Ireland - to remember the dead victims of her futile wars.”

END

Syrian community in Dublin

2011-05-14T13:00:00.000-07:00

On Thu, May 12, 2011 John Molyneux

Last night three people from the (quite small) Syrian community in Dublin came to the Irish Anti War Movement activist meeting and requested support for a protest against the repression in their country which we agreed to give.

More than 800 have been killed, more than 8000 arrested, (which means many will be being tortured). Moreover their appears to be covert complicity in this by the US and EU (they see the brutal Bashar as a force for 'stability' and I think they've had enough of peoples revolutions) . So I think its important we mobilise as much support for them as we can .

*The protest is Saturday 12 noon at The Spire. *

Please come if you possibly can. Please forward this to contacts.

Thanks

hn Molyneux
IAWM steering committee

widespread use of rape and other sexual violence as tactical war weapon

2011-05-06T02:34:00.000-07:00

allibyah@yahoo.com

To Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo, Chief Prosecutor
Office of the Prosecutor of the International
Criminal Court (ICC)
Post Office Box 19519 - 2500 CM The Hague
otp.informationdesk@icc-cpi.int
2 May 2011

Dear Mr. Moreno-Ocampo,

Subject: widespread use of rape and other sexual violence as tactical war weapon

As you prepare to brief the UN Security Council on June 4th on the progress made by the tribunal for the implementation of resolution 1970 which was unanimously voted by the Council on Saturday, 26 February 2011. It decided, in particular “to refer the situation in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya since 15 February 2011 to the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court”. In this context the Libyan League for Human Rights would like to inform you that it has, during the last few days, received from Libya several consistent horrifying reports of widespread sexual assaults by Colonel Qaddhafi’s troops against women and children. Young Libyan girls and boys as young as eight are being raped and abused. Others have been tortured being forced to watch as their fathers were murdered and their mothers raped.

Rape and sexual abuse in general, has been historically recorded as one of the spoils of war, an inevitable feature of military conflict like pillage and looting. What is new about the situation in Libya is the attention it is receiving – and the recognition that it is being extensively used by Colonel Qaddhafi, as a deliberate military tactic against his political opponents and a political weapon to preclude attempts to rebel against his totalitarian rule and to deter defiance to that rule. This is what explains that crimes of rape and other sexual abuses are being committed in particularly sadistic ways to inflict maximum humiliation on victims, their families, and on the whole community: In many cases women and children are abused in their own home, sometimes in front of their relatives. In other cases - as in the aggression against Iman Al-Obeidi the 28 years old the Libyan lady who burst, on the 25th of March into Hotel Rixos in Tripoli where foreign journalists are based shouting that she was raped by colonel Qaddhafi militiamen- victims are held in camps for days and raped repeatedly by gangs of soldiers.

We understand that Security Council Resolution 1820 (2008) considers in its preamble that rape and other forms of sexual violence when used or commissioned as a tactic of war in order to deliberately target civilians or as a part of a widespread or systematic attack against civilian populations, can significantly exacerbate situations of armed conflict and may impede the restoration of international peace and security. In the same context paragraph 4 that resolution stresses that rape and other forms of sexual violence constitute a war crime, a crime against humanity, or a constitutive act with respect to genocide. That Resolution therefore stressed the importance of ending impunity for such acts as part of a comprehensive approach to seeking sustainable peace, justice, truth, and national reconciliation and called upon all Member States to comply with their obligations for prosecuting persons responsible for such acts, to ensure that all victims of sexual violence, particularly women and children have equal protection under the law and equal access to justice. We trust that your briefing to the Security Council on May 4th will include a chapter on the Security Council Resolution 1820 (2008) in light of the widespread use by the troops of colonel Qaddhafi of rape and other forms of sexual violence as a tactical weapon in the war he declared against the Libyan people. Meanwhile the Libyan League for Human Rights is confident that your office will take the appropriate actions to completely cease all crimes of sexual violence perpetrated by Qaddhafi troops against Libyan women and children.

We thank you in advance for your attention to this pressing matter.

Sliman Bouchuiguir (Ph-D)
Secretary General

Libyan people Support MILITARY INTERVENTION IN LIBYA

2011-05-05T01:14:00.000-07:00

Dear Freinds
Although you are trying to promote peace in the region but there is a fact that we Libyan cannot take our freedom from the dicatator Gaddafi only with outside help. Threrfore the Libyan believe that Gaddfi is against the people of Libya wish to topple down peacefully. He said "either I rule you or kill you" and he is doing what he said. Hence Gaddafi is not a ruler he is a Mafia and he is doing everything to hold on to power.
In view of the war forced on the peaceful protesters in the streets of Tripoli, Bengazi Musrata, Zintan, Zawia, and the wesatern mountain it seems that Gaddafi lost his popularity and he shoul hand the power to an interim government like they do in the west. Yet Gaddafi still fighting on and employing mercinaries to carry on the dirty war.
Options to leberate the rest of Libya:
1 Arm the freedom fighters
2 due to lack of experience for the freedom fighters they may need to employ third party to help do the difficult work of stopping Gaddafi airplanes and garad which could kill all the Libyans.
3 Hi jack Gaddafi and his family through an intillegence operation and silence him forever.

The freedom fighters' fire in Libya is in no match to that of Gaddafi. The money situation is so bad and no resources generating income in the country due to civilian's boycott declared by the freedom fighters in all the cities including Tripoli.The assets frozen outside Libya need a new government to take it back. The new government cant be erected only if the capital is liberated. therefore intervention by NATO is favoured by the millions of people as air strikes.
Please support the Libyan struggle by denouncing Gaddafi and not debating Gaddafi or giving a lee way to get out of our hands.
Bashir

IAWM PRESS RELEASE - 15 APRIL 2011 - NO TO NATO INTERVENTION, SUPPORT THE ARAB REVOLUTIONS
IAWM PRESS RELEASE 15 APRIL 2011

• NO TO NATO INTERVENTION - SUPPORT THE ARAB REVOLUTIONS
• OPPOSE NATO MILITARY INTERVENTION IN LIBYA
• PICKET THE EU OFFICES ON DAWSON STREET.

The Irish Anti-war Movement in a statement today, noted that they have organised a series of events this weekend along the theme ‘NO TO WAR - NO TO NATO’. This includes a picket of the EU Offices this evening, Friday 15 April at 6.00pm, against the NATO bombing of Libya and a Public Meeting tomorrow, Saturday 16 April at 4.00pm in Liberty Hall.

PR0TEST AT EU OFFICES, 6.00PM, FRIDAY 15 APRIL
Speakers will include:
Richard Boyd Barrett TD
Jimmy Kelly, UNITE the Union, Region Secretary
and other speakers.

PUBLIC MEETING, LIBERTY HALL, 4.00pm, SATURDAY 16 APRIL
NO TO WAR – NO TO NATO (jointly organised with PANA)
Speakers:
Kate Hudson, Chair CND, UK
Arielle Denis, French Peace Movement
Paul Murphy, MEP
Richard Boyd Barrett, ULA TD, Chair IAWM
John Lannon, Shannonwatch
Eoin O’Broin, Sein Féin
Chair: Patricia McKenna, PANA

The statement noted that: “The US, French and UK governments who are spearheading the NATO intervention in Libya say they are doing it to save civilian lives. We say they are cynically USING the threat to Libyan civilians to intervene for their own reasons – to re-establish their power in the region where it has been threatened by people’s revolutions. They only intervene in order to serve their own interests, safeguard their oil supplies and bolster their own power. Its what they did in the Suez Crisis, in Vietnam, in Cuba, in Algeria, in Afghanistan, in Iraq, and what they are doing now in Libya.”

The statement further noted: “France and Britain were colonial powers in the area with terrible records of brutality. The US has been the informal colonial power since World War 2. All of them have a record of supporting – with military and financial aid - all the corrupt, reactionary dictatorships in the region including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Yemen, Zine Ben Ali in Tunisia (until he was overthrown by the Tunisian people) and above all Hosni Mubarak in Egypt ( until he was overthrown).”

“Their only condition was that these regimes did the bidding of their Western paymasters. They never cared what these regimes did to their people. This is why they supported Gaddafi in Libya once he fell into line with the West. While NATO bombs rain down on Libya, democracy protesters are being killed and tortured on a daily basis right now by the dictatorships in Saudi, Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Bahrain WITH THE SUPPORT OF THE WEST. In Libya they are bombing in a way that is bound to kill civilians and they are probably planning to partition the country in a way that none of the Libyans want but that will enable the Western powers to control the country.”

The statement further noted that: “The western powers refused to do the things that would really have helped the citizens the most. They failed to supply humanitarian aid. They refused to recognise the Rebel government. They refused to send arms to the anti-Gaddafi revolutionaries while still selling arms to despotic leaders in the region.”

“These actions would have helped empower the rebels and helped the democracy struggle across the Arab world. Instead the Western powers have intervened to defend their own power in the Middle East. “

Marnie Holborrow of the IAWM Steering Committee noted:
“The NATO bombing must be seen as part of a wider western political strategy for the region. Cameron and Sarkozy, cheerleaders for this initiative, fear that the Arab uprisings may get out of hand and threaten to overturn their cosy relationships with the despotic middle-eastern regimes. They believe that it is time to put their stamp back on the region and force a halt to further radicalization of the pro-democracy movements. That is why we are protesting against the NATO intervention”.

END

Aid to the city of Misurata

2011-04-08T16:40:00.000-07:00

To send Aid to the city of Misurata and the Western Mountain, Allah willing

Medical supplies and baby food.

who wish to contribute to this great reward for the connection please contact

Khaled / 07407041758

Abdulnaseer / 07581300984

And Allah will help His slave so long as the slave helps his brother

We welcome all inquiries in this regard

Human Relief Foundation

Natwest bank

account no : 13200631

sort code : 01 02 69

bic : NWBK GB 2L

ABAN : GB84 NWBK 01026913200631

A new branch in Libya

2011-04-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

THIS IS TO CONFIRM ARAYA HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANISATION HAS OPENED A NEW BRANCH IN BENGHAZI, LIBYA. 08/04/2011 ARAYA HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANISATION DECLARES IT'S AFFILIATION WITH THE YOUTH OF THE 17TH OF FEBUARY AND THEIR POLITICAL AND SOCIAL GAINS. IT REAFFIRMS IT'S RECOGNITION OF THE LIBYAN NATIONAL INTERIM COUNCIL AND IT DECLARES THAT WILL WORK THROUGH LEGITIMATE NETWORKS. THE ORGANISATION CONFIRMS THAT WILL IT WILL SATISFY HUMAN RIGHTS RULES INSIDE AND OUTSIDE LIBYA. AND IT WILL STAND BY EVERY VICTIM OF THE PREVIOUS REGIME AND IT WILL SERVE ANYONE WHO NEEDS HELP THROUGH IT'S POSITION IN BENGHAZI
BASHIR ALSCEABI
CHAIRMAN
COPY ..
INFORMATION MINISTRY
WELFARE AND WORKERS COMMITEE
FROM BRANCHES OF THE ORGANISATION
THIS DECLARATION WAS WRITTEN IN THE PRESCENE OF MEMBERS
AHMED YUSUF AL FAYTORI
JAMAL SINFEZ
AHMED SHUKRI
ALA MUHAMMED AL IDRISI
ZACKARIYA NUREDDIN MUHAMMED AL WAHEISHI
ABDULLAH AL MASHAY
JALAL SALAH AL SHAWY
ABU BAKR FADHEL

Center for the Study of Islam & Democracy

2011-04-01T03:19:00.000-07:00

Radwan A. Masmoudi

Two days ago, Dr. Iadh Ben Achour, head of the Tunisian High Council for Political Reforms and the Achievement of the Goals of the Revolution, announced that Tunisia does not need and will not have international monitors for the elections. I believe this is a misplaced emphasis on sovereignty and a major retreat from what the interim government (including the President and former prime minister) announced immediately after the revolution. Tunisia has never organized free and fair elections in the past, and most Tunisians will not believe the results of the elections without international supervision or monitors.

The "sensitivity" about foreign intervention is totally misplaced in this case. It has been used (and abused) by all oppressive governments and regimes to justify falsifying the elections. We have been down this road before, under Ben Ali, Mubarak, Saleh, and the other Arab dictators.

True "Sovereignty" belongs to the people, and the best way to protect the sovereignty of the people is to make sure that the elections are free and fair. Right now, many in Tunisia do not believe that this interim government is capable of organizing truly free and fair elections, and are afraid that the elections will not reflect the will of the people, just like all past elections.

The best way to guard against this is for all Tunisians to swallow their pride and request "international supervision" of the elections with the help of the The United Nations, the US, the EU, France, Germany, the Arab League, as well as numerous international Non-governmental organizations that have huge experience and expertise in the field of monitoring and supervising elections. International monitors are the best way, and possibly the only way, to guarantee that the elections will be free and fair and that everyone will accept the outcome of the elections - whether they win or lose.

There are basically three levels of international involvement in any elections:

Level 1 - Observing - This allows the international community to send people to "observe" the elections, while the government controls the whole process and can limit what the observers can see. This is the minimum level of involvement and basically is just ceremonial. It will do nothing to prevent the government from falsifying the elections.

Level 2 - Monitoring - This allows the international community to send people to "monitor" the elections, which includes being involved in the design and monitoring of all the phases of the elections process. The monitors typically have to right to "watch and advise" on every step of the process, but the final decision remains with the government. This is the medium level of involvement and can make it difficult, but not impossible, for the government to falsify the elections.

Level 3 - Supervision - This allows the international community to supervise the whole process, and to be involved in the design, implementation, and monitoring of all the phases of the elections process. This is the highest level of involvement and basically guarantees that the elections will be free and fair since the international community and the various NGO's need to be completely neutral in the whole process.

Given that Tunisia has never organized free and fair elections in the past, and given that the people of Tunisia have minimum trust in the institutions of the state and the government (especially the Ministry of Interior) which are still heavily dominated by former RCD members and officials, and also given how critical these elections will be to the success of Tunisia's transition to a real and genuine democracy, the best way to guarantee that the elections will be free and fair is to organize them under international supervision (level 3).

Some Tunisians will object to this idea for fear that international supervision will amount to "interference" in the political process or reduction in the sovereignty of Tunisia. To the contrary, the international community, especially the United Nations, and tens of international NGO's have amassed decades of experience and expertise in designing, implementing, and monitoring free and fair elections in various countries around the world. They are much less likely to take sides or to favor one party against the other, since they are vested in credible and free elections.

The Tunisian people are rightly worried about the ultimate success of their peaceful and democratic revolution, and about attempts of the "old guard" to derail it or steal its fruits. They also have an understandably strong sense of pride and ownership of their revolution. However, the experience of previous transitions demonstrates that monitoring and other forms of external assistance can not only be delivered in ways which respect the sovereignty of the host country, but that experience actually enhances sovereignty by transferring skills and insights, and boosting the capacity of civil society and other local actors and institutions.

The International Forum for Democratic Studies recently issued a Tunisia working group report, which found that on electoral framework and administration, "given past sham elections, there is a serious lack of knowledge and capacity." It is doubtful that such knowledge and capacity can be acquired in the next six months or year. That is why we need to bring thousands of international monitors to guarantee that the elections will be free and fair. Otherwise, I am afraid that the turmoil will continue, and many Tunisians will not believe the outcome of the elections.

It is crucial that the next elections (to elect the Constitutional Assembly on July 24) be totally free, fair and credible in the eyes of all Tunisians. There has to be absolutely no doubt about the elections or their outcome, in order for all Tunisians to continue to believe in their nascent democracy, remain engaged in the political process, and avoid further instability or turmoil. This is critical for the success of the democratic revolution and the transition to democracy in Tunisia.

In light of all this, the Tunisian government and all Tunisians should appeal for help from the international community in organizing, implementing, and monitoring the next elections. In a few years, once democracy is more established and the institutions of democracy are stronger and more credible, Tunisia can hopefully organize free and fair elections on its own.

Successful and credible elections can pave the way for real democracy, and should not be diminished by a misplaced emphasis on 'sovereignty'.

NATO led forces are not enforcing resolution

2011-04-01T03:16:00.000-07:00

It seems that the NATO led forces are not enforcing resolution 1973 but rather destroying the Libyan infrastructure, otherwise how would you explain the NATO led forces leaving Gaddafi’s forces to bombard Libyan civilians in Zentan and Misrata day and night although the people in those cities have called for help for the last 10 days . I can see the Bosnian scenario all over again as they are waiting for a massacre to take place in either Zentan or Misrata to justify the presence of NATO ground troops but may Allah protect these cities from such a massacre or they want to prolong this war as long as possible until they find a suitable replacement as they do not seems to have too much confidence in the Libyan National Council. Any suggestions would be appreciated it.

We ought to voice our concerns for this blatant act by these forces that were deployed to protect civilians but yet to be effective. I think we should start negotiating with Arab states such as Qatar and Saudi to lead the way to help us get rid of Gaddafi.

Regards,

A. Lasebae

IRISH ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT PROTEST: NATO Bombing and the no-fly zone

2011-03-29T23:12:00.001-07:00

IRISH ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT PROTEST

Monday,28 March 18:00 - TODAY

Molesworth St Outside the EU Offices

NATO bombing is no solution

Full support for the Libyan uprising

No more western backing of tyrannical regimes

1. NATO bombing, no solutionJust eight years after they launched their shock-and-awe devastation of Baghdad and ten years after their invasion of Afghanistan, the same Western forces are pummelling yet another Muslim state with bombs, burning soldiers and tanks and killing civilians in the process.

Yet again, the claim is that their intervention is a question of moral principle. The passing of the UN security Resolution 1973 which authorised the bombing, was held up as an attempt to protect the Libyan rebels and stop Gaddafi brutally slaughtering his people. Why, then, did the same Western powers provide Gaddaffi with the arms that are now slaughtering the Libyan people?

Had NATO and the UN really wanted to support and protect the rebels, they could have acted differently. They could have sent arms directly to the rebels and dispatched anti-aircraft weaponry to Benghazi, Alzentan and Zintan, near the Tunisian border, and dropped weaponry and supplies to the rebels besieged in Ajdabiya and Misrata. They could have offered medical help and followed the example of many Libyan doctors in exile who hastened home to offer help to the injured. They could have simply united in recognising the Benghazi based National Council as the legitimate government of Libya.

So where lies the justification for the intervention? With 39.1 billion barrels of high quality oil reserves, and with the price of oil rising above $105 per barrel, western oil companies are keen to maintain their access to the Lybian oil fields. BP has huge investments there, but Italy and Spain are large buyers of Libyan oil, and most major European companies operate in Libya, including Spain's Repsol, Italy’s Eni, France's Total, Germany's Wintershall and Austria's OMV. As with Iraq, we cannot ignore that the question of oil looms large in this military intervention.

The NATO bombing has failed to halt the fighting or force Gadaffi’s forces into submission. It is actually making things worse. This is why even the dictator dominated Arab League have said that the bombing has gone well beyond a no-fly zone from the outset. The African Union has condemned the bombing as unjustified intervention in a civil war. These misgivings led Russia China Brazil, Germany and India to abstain in the original UN vote. Even in Britain, despite it being the first days of the military campaign, 43% of the population have already said they are against the action. The IAWM, too, calls for an immediate end to the bombing.

2. No partition and full support for the Libyan uprising and the Arab revolutions.

The IAWM gives its full support to the Libyan uprising. It condemns the hypocrisy of western governments which despite their humanitarian rhetoric, have failed to respond to the basic demands of Libya’s Transitional National Council (TNC). It asked for the recognition of the TNC, access to the billions in sequestrated regime funds in order to buy weapons and other crucial supplies, and an immediate halt to the “mercenary flights” that provided Gaddafi’s regime with its foot soldiers. Western governments refused to accept any of these demands. They objected to weapons sales as they said these could fall into the hands of “Islamist terrorists.” The western powers sought to

protect their own interests. They demanded that any future Libyan government would honour all contracts signed by Gaddafi, including oil concessions. They demanded that the strict repression of “Islamist” movements continue, and that any future government

maintain Libya’s role as a guardian against African migration into southern Europe. In other words, western intervention came at a price.

The NATO bombing is part of a wider western political strategy for the region. Cameron and Sarkozy, cheerleaders for this initiative, fear that the Arab uprisings may get out of hand and threaten to overturn their cosy relationships with the middle eastern regimes. They believe that it is time to put their stamp back on the region and force a halt to further radicalisation of the pro-democracy movements. Amr Moussa, former

foreign minister under Mubarak, prospective Egyptian president, and the head of the Arab League which agreed to back the UN resolution, represents the kind of interim government which the EU and the US would welcome.

Rather than pursuing a strategy which would further isolate Gaddafi, the west have turned their backs on the very forces that could help the Libyan rebels the most. They have ignored the repression occurring in the Yemen, Bahrain or Saudi. Instead of supporting other movements of protest across the region, they have effectively allowed dictatorial regimes to continue undisturbed. France clung on to supporting Ben Ali in Tunisia, in the beginning even offering to send their own riot police to help put down the protests. The Egyptian revolution was left on its own to force Mubarak from power. The brutal suppression of the protests in Yemen have been passed over in silence and the EU’s Catherine Ashton has defended Bahrain’s violent repression of pro-democracy protesters.

The only people that the Libyan rebels can trust are their fellow Arab peoples who are fighting courageously the same brand of tyrant as their own. If Libya’s neighbours, Egypt and Tunisia, lent their support – military, logistical, and practical – to the rebel strongholds in Libya, then that would help the Arabs peoples to take control of their revolutions. The best use that Egypt could make of the $1.3bn of military aid that it gets from the US would be to arm the Libyan rebels. Such measures would help to prevent an outcome that the west looks increasingly likely to favour – the partition of the country into a rebel-held east and a Gaddafi controlled rest of the country.

3. Ireland should recognise the Libyan National Council and call a halt to the NATO intervention.

The IAWM believes that our government should not close ranks behind the NAT0 bombing of Libya. Fine Gael has made no secret of its desire to increase Ireland’s cooperation with EU-NATO cooperation. Nor has it hidden its sympathy with Israel’s agenda in the Middle East. This FG led government looks set to increase Ireland’s military commitment to humanitarian intervention.

The only comments of our new Foreign minister on the crisis unfolding in Libya has been to hide behind the letter of the UN mandate. Eamon Gilmore has said that resolution 1973 “did not extend to regime change” in Libya and “must be confined to the protection of the civilian population”. We believe that among many people who voted for the Labour Party there is unease about where this military campaign will lead. It is simply not good enough for Eamon Gilmore to hide behind platitudes.

We call on Ireland to recognise the Libyan Transitional National Council and call a halt to the NATO bombing.

www.irishantiwar.org | infor@irishantiwar.org

URGET NILESAT TO STOP BROADCASTING STATE TV INSIDE LIBYA

2011-03-29T22:55:00.000-07:00

The Gaddafi Regime has lost its legitimacy by orchestrating ongoing campaigns of violence and murder on Libyan people. Estimates of the death toll vary. According to Wikipedia it may be upwards of 6,000 while the Interim Government places it at over 8000. Yet State Run TV continues to broadcast and be used by the regime to incite violence against innocent Libyan civilians. Gaddafi has banned all media broadcasts inside Libya except for his 3 channels. They all rely on Nilesat satellites to broadcast.

Tell Nilesat to shut down Gaddafi TV!

UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and sanctions have been enacted with strong support from the international community. The sanctions include cutting off assets to the regime, travel bans and penalties on companies starting new business in the country. Despite the sanctions Gaddafi continues to terrorize and murder civilians. Recently a no fly zone was put into place by the UNSC to protect the people from violent attacks by the Gaddafi regime and a likely massacre against the million people living in Benghazi. The no fly zone was enacted at the urging of the Arab League and the Libyan people themselves.

Despite these measures by the international community Nilesat and other corporations continue to provide a platform for the Gaddafi's regime to spread its terror propaganda to the Libyans citizens and people around the world. Furthermore, there have been reports from Libya that coded messages have been disseminated to Gaddafi’s mercenaries and security forces via Al-Jamahirya satellite TV channel. Please tell these corporate service providers to stop broadcasting all of the Gaddafi regime’s satellite channels immediately. Tell them to stand with the international community and do their part to protect the Libyan people.

Sign the petition and then share it widely with your friends.

http://www.change.org/petitions/shut-down-gaddafi-state-tv#?opt_new=t&opt_fb=f

BAHRAIN – THE KEY TO THE ARAB UPRISINGS

2011-03-25T01:38:00.001-07:00

BAHRAIN – THE KEY TO THE ARAB UPRISINGS

by

Dr. Abdullah Sayegh and Jim Roche, Steering Committee IAWM.

The actions of western leaders in recent weeks show the disdain in which they hold the ordinary people of the region, including Libyan people. Contrast their expressed “deep concern” for the fate of the Libyan people with the mild commentary regarding the current treatment of protesters in Bahrain. The U.S. government—through its proxy/puppet monarchy in Saudi Arabia—is arming, financing and sending troops to Bahrain to violently suppress the protests that have been happening for weeks.

The Bahraini authorities, western leaders and the UN are playing the sectarian card against the protesters – invoking yet again, as occurred previously in Iraq, a conflict between Shiia and Sunni Muslim, and of course, the demonization of the great regional evil - Iran.

The protesters on Pearl Roundabout were mainly Shiia, due to the awful discrimination in all aspects of work and cultural life against this larger demographic group by the ruling Sunni elite. Yet many Sunnis were prominent amongst the protesters, including those arrested, thus exposing the sectarian motives of the Bahraini authorities, Western leaders and the UN.

The protests in Bahrain link back to a wave of protests beginning in 1994 that were unique in its time for the level of cooperation between religious, secular and leftist / labour forces. Though inspired by the recent wave of Arab protests in the region the demands being made by Bahrainis today are the same as they were in 1994 namely, the release of political prisoners, the granting of political rights to women, and economic reforms to raise the standard of living of the majority Shia population.
Bahrain was, on 14 March, invaded by a foreign army consisting of troops from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, with the stated purpose of protecting essential facilities including oil and gas installations and financial institutions and to "safeguard security and stability". The maneuver was carried out under the aegis of the Gulf Cooperation Council that also has Kuwait, Qatar and Oman as members, in contravention of international law and any sense of human decency.

The US administration has publicly declared that this is “not an invasion!

The Bahraini security forces and the invading Saudi army brutally attacked the peaceful protesters who were camped out on Pearl Roundabout resulting in many deaths and more than one thousand injuries. Hospitals are now under siege and are short of medicines. Ambulances have been stopped from collecting the wounded. There has been inhumane treatment of doctors, including a Dr. Akri who once worked in Dublin, and protesters have been injured beyond imagination. The Minister of Health has resigned due to these attacks on doctors and the Chief of the Sulaimani hospital has been replaced with a military officer. The imprisonment and house arrest of many leaders of the uprising is ongoing, helped by an imposed nightly curfew from 4pm to 4 am.

The suppression in Bahrain is, in proportion to the populations of both countries, as bloody a situation as Libya. Yet, compared to the grand standing of western leaders and now the military intervention in Libya, the mild condemnation by Hilary Clinton and other western leaders of the Saudi’s invasion of Bahrain and subsequent violent suppression of the peaceful protests, is astounding, matched only by the mild media coverage of the suffering of the people in Bahrain.

There are strong indications that this action by Saudi Arabia had the green light from Hilary Clinton. The timing of the Saudi intervention came after US Government officials met the Bahraini government leaders. Saudi troops drove across the border only two days after secretary of defence Robert Gates was in Bahrain, ostensibly attempting to convince the Bahraini leadership to engage in a more rapid process of dialogue and reform.

The Bahraini uprising will play a pivotal role in the future of the area. Many demonstrations are occurring now in the Eastern Saudi provinces and there are many skirmishes between ordinary people and the state forces.

The struggle of ordinary people for their democratic rights in an area governed by corrupt regimes, who maintain power only through the support of western political leaders, will win out in the end.

The struggle of ordinary people who believe that citizenship means equality of opportunity and not divisions between sects and tribes, a lazy excuse always used to divide people, will win out in the end.

The struggle of ordinary people who wish to express solidarity with the oppressed Palestinian people will win out in the end.

The struggle of ordinary people against those leaders who try to divert Arab people to think purely that “Iran is the enemy” will win out in the end.

The success of the Bahraini people in struggle will not only affect the regimes in the Arab side of the gulf, but it could also spread democracy throughout the Persian side of the Gulf, namely in Iran. That may explain the Iranian condemnation of the Saudi intervention being as mild as that of America.

Anti war activists must hold firm and support the demands of Arab protesters for democratic change, argue against the sectarian card being played by regional and western powers and point out the duplicity and hypocrisy of western leaders in their reluctant support for some protests while they remain silent, or at best ambiguous on others, and in their devious manipulation of the genuine struggles of the Arab people for democracy and freedom versus the interests of western multinationals and military machines.

Dr. Abdullah Sayegh and Jim Roche, Steering Committee IAWM. 18 March 2011

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2011-03-25T01:36:00.001-07:00

Nuclear devastation in Japan will have worldwide health repercussions, and soon
IAWM PRESS RELEASE - 20 MARCH 2011

Nuclear devastation in Japan will have worldwide health repercussions, and soon

The nuclear crisis in Japan, with effects occurring in all six reactors on the site in question, is now officially ranked as level 6, and it is not yet resolved, if it ever can be. To put this in context, Chernobyl was ranked as level 7. The US is expecting nuclear contamination to hit there within about two days, and Western Europe later. There has been and will be increased seismic activity worldwide, and there are other reactors built in fault zones. Japan's disaster will become the world's disaster.

In February and March, earthquakes have occurred along the 'ring of fire' - Chile, New Zealand, Japan. If this continues, the west coast of North America might take the next hit. Geologists are predicting it. The washing up of fish and whales on beaches probably has to do with electromagnetic disturbances underwater which could presage earthquakes and tsunamis.

Japan was the most prepared of all countries, or so they thought. They had huge walls to protect against tsunamis. They had nuclear backup systems - but they did not calculate on an earthquake as high as level 9 on the Richter scale. So their protective measures were not enough. Once again, an improbable chain of events has happened.
They are now at the point where workers will be asked to volunteer on a suicide mission- to sacrifice themselves to 'save Japan' by going into the deadly radioactive areas to try to fix the problems, get electricity supply back to run pumps, etc.. As this was never foreseen as a possibility, there are no manuals to follow telling them how to deal with six reactors in a meltdown or potential meltdown process.

Glenda Cimino from the IAWM Steering Committee said:
"The only protection now against nuclear disaster for the world is to SHUT DOWN THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS and do not let them build any more. With every new generation of nuclear plants, we are reassured that these are much safer than the last. But they will never be safe enough to protect us from the possibility of radiation exposure, with the inevitable trail of cancers, childhood leukemias, birth mutations for generations, and poisoned water and food."

For further info contact:
Glenda Cimino, Steering Committee IAWM. Tel. 086 124 9456

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IRISH ANTI-WAR MOVEMENT (IAWM) - PRESS STATEMENT – 20 MARCH 2011

2011-03-25T01:35:00.000-07:00

PRESS STATEMENT – 20 MARCH 2011

On the 8th anniversary of the disastrous US led invasion of Iraq in 2003 the Irish Anti-war Movement says:

• WESTERN MILITARY INTERVENTION IN LIBYA COULD MAKE THINGS WORSE FOR THE LIBYAN PEOPLES’ STRUGGLE FOR FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY
• DO NOT TRUST WESTERN LEADERS STATED INTENTIONS
• US-BACKED SAUDI INVASION OF BAHRAIN EXPOSES HYPOCRISY OF WESTERN LEADERS
• SUPPORT THE ARAB PEOPLES’ PROTESTS FOR GENUINE FREEDOM AND DEMOCRACY

The Irish Anti-war Movement in a statement released today noted:

“On the 8th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq the lessons of two disastrous wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have not been learned. A new war has been declared on the Gaddafi regime which will involve more civilians being killed and will not necessarily bring peace to Libya nor a resolution to the conflict there. It sets the western world on an escalation of military intervention, involvement in a civil war and an attempt at regime change which risks ending up with a western occupation of at least part of Libya. The experience of Iraq shows that genuine democracy and freedom cannot grow from
aerial bombardment and foreign occupation.”

The statement noted further that: “As the first Tomahawk missiles fall on Libya there is no guarantee that the violence in that country will end soon and that the democratic aspirations of the rebels will be met. This is an interventionist act of war by western leaders against a dictator who, until very recently, they were happy to support with all kind of military advice and hardware.

While the threat to the rebels and civilians in Benghazi was daunting and the expressions of jubilation by ordinary Libyans on news of the ‘No Fly Zone’ understandable, the Libyan people should not trust western leaders who have in the past propped up Gaddafi and other middle eastern despots against the best interests of the people there.”

Jim Roche, PRO of the Irish Anti-war Movement said:

“Despite the obvious relief for the people of Benghazi one has to question the real motives of the western powers in launching this new war and their selective intervention generally in the Arab uprisings. It should be noted that while the UNSC was voting to impose a no-fly zone in Libya, at least 40 civilians were killed in a US drone attack in Waziristan in Pakistan, there was a brutal suppression of pro-democracy protests in Bahrain (home of the US fifth fleet) by an invading US-backed Saudi army and 40 protesters were gunned down in Sanaa, Yemen. In Iraq, three weeks ago, 30 protesters were gunned down for seeking democratic change from the Maliki Government that is supported by 50,000 occupying U.S. troops.

“Yet nobody is calling for ‘no-fly zones’ to protect Pakistanis, Bahrainis, Yemenis and Iraqis. A ‘no-fly zone’ was also never called for during ‘Operation Cast Lead’ over two years ago when the Israeli state killed 1400 Gazans including 400 children.”

Jim Roche noted further: “The mild condemnation made by Western leaders of the violent suppression of the Bahraini democracy protests is very telling. The situation there is proportionally as bloody as in Libya and was carried out with the help of an invading army. This shows the hypocrisy and duplicity of western leaders.”

Glenda Cimino of the IAWM Steering Committee said: the bombing campaign against Libya [euphemistically called a ‘no fly zone’] is likely to destroy infrastructure and take more innocent lives while possibly not dislodging Gaddafi at all. The tell tale evidence that the intervention is not all it claims to be is the western silence about Bahrain, Yemen, and the continued drone murders in Pakistan

Jim Roche further noted: The contrast between the western response to Libya and Bahrain is astounding. The Bahraini authorities, western leaders and the UN are playing the sectarian card against the protesters – invoking yet again, as occurred previously in Iraq, a conflict between Shiia and Sunni Muslim, and of course, the demonization of the great regional evil - Iran.”

He continued: “It is very likely that this military intervention in Libya is designed to dampen down the popular Arab revolutions of recent months and may be nothing less than a cynical exercise in reasserting western domination of the region. They are using Gaddafi’s threats against his own people as an excuse to intervene militarily and take back control of an important strategic and oil rich region.”

“Hopefully the struggles of the ordinary people of the region will prevail and that they will ultimately gain their freedom from western backed despotic regimes right across the region from North Africa to the Arabian Gulf.”

“The Irish Anti-war Movement supports the struggles of the ordinary Arab people for freedom and democracy but is against the sinister military interventions of western powers.”

END

For further info contact:
Jim Roche, PRO Steering Committee IAWM. Tel. 087 6472737
Dr. Abdullah Sayegh, Steering Committee IAWM. Tel. 087 311 3811
Glenda Cimino, Steering Committee IAWM. Tel. 124 9456
Richard Boyd Barrett TD, Chair Steering Committee IAWM. Tel. 086 781 4520

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بعض شهداء ليبيا 17 فبراير 2011 Libyan uprising martryers 17 Feb 2011

2011-03-16T12:14:00.001-07:00

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2011-03-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

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Request to the Arab League:

2011-03-13T08:42:00.000-07:00

We, an international coalition of Libyan groups, hereby call on the Arab League to condemn Moammar Qaddafi’s unsolicited and brutal attacks against the people of Libya, and to take all measures to ensure the immediate cessation of bloodshed.

On this basis we ask that the Arab League call on member states to:

1. Recognise and acknowledge the Libyan Transitional Council as the legitimate representative of the people of Libya, revoking any official accreditation of Qaddafi regime envoys, both existing and prospective; to boycott members or associates of the Qaddafi regime.

2. Implement the UN resolution calling for a freezing of public and private funds in Arab states, benefiting the Qaddafi regime.

3. Prevent the delivery of funds, troops and weapons, for use by the Qaddafi regime, passing through the borders of neighbouring Arab member states.

4. Support the imposition of a no fly zone

5. Reject all references to current events in Libya as a civil war, and classify them instead as a popular uprising.

6. To cooperate fully with the International Criminal Court, and not allow any of those identified by the Prosecutor to seek refuge on Arab territory, regardless of whether or not their home state is a party to the Rome Statute.

We ask that these decisions not be reliant on a unanimous basis but by majority vote.

International Coalition of Libyan Groups

Representatives of an international coalition of Libyan groups

2011-03-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

12 March, 2011
Cairo, Egypt

Representatives of an international coalition of Libyan groups supporting the uprising of 17th February, met today with the Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, to deliver a list of six key demands. In solidarity with the Libyan Transitional National Council (NTC), they urged the Arab League to call on member states to:
1. Recognise and acknowledge the NTC as the legitimate representative of the people of Libya, revoking any official accreditation of Qaddafi regime envoys, both existing and prospective; to boycott members or associates of the Qaddafi regime
2. Implement the UN resolution calling for a freeze of public and private funds in Arab States benefiting the Qaddafi regime
3. Prevent the delivery of funds, troops and weapons, for use by the Qaddafi regime passing through the borders of neighbouring Arab member states
4. Support the imposition of a no-fly-zone
5. Reject all references to current events in Libya as a "civil war" and classify them instead as a popular uprising
6. To cooperate fully in the International Criminal Court and not allow any of those identified with the Prosecutor to seek refuge on Arab Territory, regardless of whether or not their home state is a party to the Rome Statute.
The demands of the coalition were welcomed by the Secretary General, who echoed its call for the immediate cessation of violence, and agreed on the necessity for Arab States to respond to the needs and aspirations of their peoples. Further, he underlined the importance of Arab states taking the lead in ensuring a peaceful transition to democracy within the region.

This is footage from Al Jazeera’s Evan Hill, showing images of Ali Hassan Al Jabir’s funeral service.

2011-03-13T04:27:00.000-07:00

Rage over delaying Implementation of the NO-FLY ZONE in Libya

2011-03-11T22:13:00.001-08:00

By Liz Sly: Brutally crushed

2011-03-11T21:42:00.000-08:00

ZAWIYAH, LIBYA - In the battle-scarred center of this small town, evidence abounds that the popular uprising here has been brutally crushed, in a bitter blow to the fast-fading hopes of rebels that they can succeed in toppling Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi.

The fall of Zawiyah, 30 miles west of Tripoli and the only major town in western Libya to have been claimed by the opposition, came as President Obama and the European Union offered only measured support for the rebels, leaving them increasingly vulnerable to Gaddafi's better organized and better equipped military.

Government officials escorted journalists to Zawiyah's main square, the focus of the fighting, for what amounted to a victory rally, with soldiers firing machine guns into the air and a crowd of about 200 enthusiastically chanting pro-Gaddafi slogans. But devastation lay all around.

The dome and the minaret of the mosque, which rebels turned into their headquarters and used as a makeshift hospital, have been blown away. Gaping holes in scorched and gutted apartment buildings and offices offered testimony to the artillery used to pound the rebels into submission. Broken glass and rubble lay strewn across the sidewalk, and mangled lampposts and street signs blocked roads.

There were indications of efforts to airbrush the 17-day history of rebel control of the town ahead of the journalists' visit. Two of the worst-hit buildings had been draped in giant lengths of green-and-white fabric. Anti-Gaddafi graffiti had been painted over, a colossal image on a wall of the pre-Gaddafi Libyan flag, which has become the symbol of the revolt, was whitewashed and a mountain of burned-out vehicles was out of sight behind the mosque.

An impromptu graveyard, in the park in the center of the square, was leveled and smoothed over with sand bearing the fresh marks of bulldozer tracks. Witnesses said the graves of at least seven fighters had been there until the previous day.

"No, it was a fountain," said a Gaddafi supporter, disputing questions about what had happened to the graves.

Journalists were not allowed to venture beyond the square, but on the drive through Zawiyah, the streets were deserted, raising questions as to the whereabouts of the rest of the town's estimated population of 200,000. Only a few dozen ordinary citizens joined the celebration, and they expressed relief that the battle was over.

"We were so scared, we couldn't go out and we were threatened by weapons," said Muftah bin Amal, 54, who took his three daughters to the square. "Now we are happy, and we pray God will protect our country."

Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim later told journalists that the remainder of the residents were "in their homes, in their houses," and said journalists were welcome to visit them. He said a total of 40 people from both sides had died in the fighting, although some reports have put that toll higher.

But with government media handlers supervising the event, and so few of Zawiyah's residents attending the celebration, it was hard to gauge the real mood now that the town is back in government hands, more than two weeks after it was claimed by anti-government protesters who later acquired weapons, including tanks and antiaircraft guns, from defecting soldiers.

One man stepped forward as the journalists were boarding buses for the return journey to express a concern that may resonate among many residents in the government-controlled west. "Yes, we have some problems, yes, we have some corruption," he said. "But we don't want Libya to be divided. We want Libya to be one."

The Washington Post

ACTNOW Libya Project

2011-03-11T21:35:00.000-08:00

Asalaamu3alaykum and Greetings of peace!

We are all very frustrated, annoyed, and saddened by the current events in Libya. Some of us are wondering "how can I help?" It may seem that we don't know where we can forces on and are scrambled with the amount of information thats coming in from Libya, twitter, facebook, and all other media outlets. With this being said, we need to come together and stand UNITED. Our efforts must all come together for ONE cause. MashaAllah we have all see the talent within the WORLDWIDE Libyan community and alhamdulillah we some very sharp tools in the shed! Please fill out the form below so that we can know how you can help and so that we can delegate tasks accordingly.

**NOTE** We have this form linked with a very secured email account and have placed other means of security to protect the information. ALL information collected will be used ONLY for the ACTNOW Libya Project.

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dFcxSG04YjhVRmVDQjZZdXNGSEc1clE6MQ

Friday, March 11 · 8:00pm - 11:00pm

2011-03-09T04:23:00.000-08:00

Friday, March 11 · 8:00pm - 11:00pm
Location: CROKE PARK, DUBLIN
Cost of Entry only €25

A night of boxing and entertainment in aid of the IRELAND PALESTINE SOLIDARITY CAMPAIGN. Appearances by the cream of Irish professional and amateur boxing on the night. We will be holding an auction of boxing and other sporting memorabilia - as well as a raffle featuring some great prizes.

Catered food and DJ.

Boxing bouts from lightweight to heavyweight and women's and men's boxing.

For ticket information contact Gary Daly at gary [at] garydalyandco.ie or call 087 2831178

Tickets are also available from the IPSC Office - email info [at] ipsc.ie or call (01) 6770253 for more information.

This event is organised by the Ireland-Palestine Solidarity Campaign (IPSC) as one of a series of events taking place around Ireland during international Israeli Apartheid Week 2011 (6 – 12 March). For more information on other events in Ireland please see: http://www.ipsc.ie/iaw2011 and for a brochure of Dublin events please see the PDF below.

Video of abandoned Libya military base in Benghazi after days of fierce battles

2011-03-09T04:16:00.000-08:00

Statement by the Office of the Prosecutor

2011-03-08T15:48:00.001-08:00

Statement: 28.02.2011

Statement by the Office of the Prosecutor on situation in Libya

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970 (2011) provides jurisdiction to the International Criminal Court over the situation in .

The Office of the Prosecutor has to now decide whether an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed in since 15 February 2011 should be opened.

The Office is currently assessing allegations of widespread or systematic attacks against the civilian population as well as other additional legal requisites established by the Rome Statute.

The Office is liaising with relevant organisations including the Arab League, the African Union, the UN Council on Human Rights, the UN High Commission for Human Rights and the UN Secretariat, as well as with States, in order to collect information required.

The Office of the Prosecutor is interested in receiving footage and images to confirm the alleged crimes. Additionally the Office is liaising with Libyan officials and army officers to receive information about the identity of authorities with command and control over the organizations allegedly involved in the crimes.

The Office of the Prosecutor has to act impartially. The next step will be to decide whether to open an investigation, and eventually collect evidence and request an arrest warrant against those identified as the most responsible. The judges will then decide based on the evidence. In accordance with its mandate to end impunity to contribute to the prevention of future crimes, the Office will act without delay.

“Information suggests that forces loyal to President Muammar Qadhafi are attacking civilians in ” said Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo. “This could constitute crimes against humanity and must stop. The Office will act swiftly and impartially. There will be no impunity for leaders involved in the commission of crimes.”

Déclaration : 28.02.2011

Déclaration du Bureau du Procureur à propos de la situation en Lybie

La Résolution 1970 (2011) du Conseil de sécurité de l’Organisation des Nations Unies confère à la Cour pénale internationale compétence sur la situation en Libye.

Le Bureau du Procureur doit à présent décider s’il y a lieu d’ouvrir une enquête concernant d’éventuels crimes contre l’humanité commis en Libye depuis le 15 février 2011.

Le Bureau examine à l’heure actuelle les allégations d’attaques systématiques ou généralisées dirigées contre la population civile, ainsi que d’autres prescriptions légales établies par le Statut de Rome.

Le Bureau est en contact avec des organisations compétentes dont la Ligue des États arabes, l’Union africaine, le Conseil des droits de l’homme des Nations Unies, le Haut Commissariat des Nations Unies aux droits de l’homme et le Secrétariat de l’ONU, ainsi que des États, afin de recueillir les informations nécessaires.

Le Bureau du Procureur jugerait utile de recevoir des films et des images qui confirmeraient l’existence des crimes en question. En outre, le Bureau établit des contacts avec des représentants et des responsables militaires libyens en vue de recevoir des informations sur l’identité de ceux qui exercent un commandement et un contrôle sur les organisations prétendument impliquées dans ces crimes.

Le Bureau du Procureur doit agir en toute impartialité. La prochaine étape sera de décider s’il convient ou non d’ouvrir une enquête, puis le cas échéant de recueillir des éléments de preuve et de demander que des mandats d’arrêt soient délivrés à l’encontre de ceux qui portent la responsabilité la plus lourde dans ces crimes. Les juges trancheront ensuite sur la base des éléments de preuve. Le Bureau agira au plus vite conformément au mandat qui lui a été confié de mettre un terme à l’impunité afin de contribuer à la prévention d’autres crimes.

« D’après les informations dont nous disposons, les forces loyales au Président Mouammar Kadhafi attaquent des civils en Libye », a déclaré le Procureur Luis Moreno-Ocampo. « Ces attaques pourraient constituer des crimes contre l’humanité et doivent cesser. Le Bureau agira rapidement et en toute impartialité. Aucune impunité ne sera tolérée pour les dirigeants impliqués dans ces crimes. »

28 شباط/فبراير 2011

بيان صادر عن مكتب المدعي العام بخصوص الوضع في ليبيا

ينص قرار مجلس الأمن التابع للأمم المتحدة رقم 1970 (2011) على الولاية القضائية للمحكمة الجنائية الدولية إزاء الوضع في ليبيا.

ويجب على مكتب المدعي العام أن يقرر الآن ما إذا كان ينبغي فتح تحقيق حول مزاعم ارتكاب جرائم ضد الإنسانية في ليبيا منذ 15 شباط/فبراير 2011.

يقوم المكتب حالياً بتقييم مزاعم هجمات واسعة النطاق أو منهجية ضد السكان المدنيين، فضلاً عن غيرها من المتطلبات القانونية الإضافية التي وضعها نظام روما الأساسي.

يجري المكتب اتصالات مع المنظمات ذات الصلة بما في ذلك جامعة الدول العربية والاتحاد الأفريقي، ومجلس الأمم المتحدة لحقوق الإنسان، ومفوضية الأمم المتحدة لحقوق الإنسان والأمانة العامة للأمم المتحدة، وكذلك مع الدول، من أجل جمع المعلومات المطلوبة.

ويسعى مكتب المدعي العام للحصول على لقطات وصور تؤكد الجرائم المزعومة. فضلاً عن ذلك، يجري المكتب اتصالات مع مسؤولين وضباط جيش ليبيين من أجل الحصول على معلومات حول هوية السلطات التي تقود وتسيطر على المنظمات المشتبه بتورطها في الجرائم.

يجب على مكتب المدعي العام أن يتصرف بنزاهة. وستكمن الخطوة التالية في اتخاذ قرار ما إذا كان سيتم فتح تحقيق، وبالتالي جمع الأدلة وطلب إصدار مذكرة اعتقال بحق الذين يثبت تحملهم المسؤولية الكُبرى. وعندئذ، سيقرر القضاة استناداً إلى الأدلة. وفقاً لولايته لوضع حد للإفلات من العقاب والمساهمة في الوقاية من الجرائم في المستقبل، فإن المكتب سيعمل دون تأخير.

وقال المدعي العام لويس مورينو اوكامبو: "تشير المعلومات إلى أن القوات الموالية للرئيس معمر القذافي تُهاجم المدنيين في ليبيا". "ويمكن أن تشكل هذه الهجمات جرائم ضد الإنسانية ويجب أن تتوقف. وسيتحرك المكتب بسرعة وبنزاهة. ولن يكون هناك إفلات من العقاب للقادة المتورطين في ارتكاب الجرائم".

RAW,Libya Gunfire on unarmed demonstrators in the city of Zawia today 24.02.2011

2011-03-08T04:56:00.000-08:00

Zawia Libya on Mar6th from Channel 4 news

2011-03-08T04:50:00.000-08:00

Why there were British paratroupers in the eastern part of Libya

2011-03-07T23:53:00.000-08:00

Araya human rights organization: we want an explanation why there were British paratroupers in the eastern part of the country without the knowledge of the interim national council of Libya Please clarify , we expect an appology from the British Government for entering Libya without prior arrangements. This is dangerous and can cast a shadow of doubt in future relations. We count on the British support and we want

Remembering Rehab El-Buri

2011-03-07T23:52:00.001-08:00

abcnews.go.com
Rehab El-Buri, a former ABC News staffer who helped shape the network's coverage of the Arab world, died Sunday at the age of 25. A trusted colleague in the ABC News Investigative Unit and cherished friend, Rehab left her position last year to devote her energies to fighting a courageous battle agai

Gadaffi the ruler of Libya for 42 years

2011-03-01T10:14:00.000-08:00

Gadaffi the ruler of Libya for 42 years signed up to support the West in their'war on terror'.
He became a 'friend' of Bush and Blair. Britain sold him armsand traded in gas and oil. He is attacking his people with weapons supplied bythe UK.Libyan people have been protesting across their country, inspired by theRevolutions in Egypt and Tunisia they too now are demanding and end todictatorship. Using heavy weapons and the army Gadaffi has killed manyprotesters.In Manchester there have been protests of hundreds every day outside the BBCagainst the repression and murder in Libya.Manchester Stop the War calls on our supporters to support the protests byLibyan people in ManchesterOutside the BBC on Oxford Rd12-2pm Sunday 20th Feb5-7pm daily next week from Mon 20th Feb

Libyan Justice Minister Accuses Gadhafi of Personally Ordering Pan Am 103 Bombing Over Lockerbie, Scotland

2011-02-24T03:47:00.000-08:00

In an interview with Swedish newspaper Expressen, Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, a confidant of Gadhafi's who resigned his post amid this week's anti-government protests and civil strife, said, "I have proof that Gadhafi gave the order about Lockerbie."

Some family members of the victims said the admission vindicated what they had long believed and called on the U.S. government to officially acknowledge that the 1988 bombing over Lockerbie, Scotland, was state-sponsored terrorism.

"There can no longer be any doubt about the involvement Gadhafi had in murdering American citizens," said Bert Ammerman, whose brother, Tom, died in the attacks. "He ordered the bombing of Flight 103. I challenge President Obama to respond accordingly. There must be justice."

Abdel-Jalil told the paper that Gadhafi ordered Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, a suspected intelligence agent and the only man convicted of the bombing that killed 259 people aboard the plan and another 11 on the ground, to carry out the attack.

"To hide it, [Gadhafi] did everything in his power to get al-Megrahi back from Scotland," Abdel-Jalil told the paper.

Megrahi was released from a Scottish prison in 2009 on compassionate grounds because he had cancer and claimed he had only weeks to live. His release caused an uproar in the West, with some family members of victims accusing the British government of cutting a deal with Libya to secure lucrative oil contracts.

Megrahi returned to Tripoli to a hero's welcome. He is still alive and living in a seaside mansion provided by the government.

U.S. officials have long suspected or known Gadhafi was likely behind the attack, but were unable to accuse a head of state of murder without significant proof and the political will to call for his arrest, said Brad Garrett, a former FBI agent and ABC News consultant.

"At the time of the investigation, FBI agents found substantial evidence that they believed Gadhafi was linked directly to the bombings but never proved it," Garrett said.

The latest accusations by Abdel-Jalil have again raised the ire of some victims' family members, most of whom are Americans.

"Gadhafi has been accused of an act of war on the U.S.," Bert Ammerman said.

"Bush 41 [George H. W. Bush] said in 1989 if there was any evidence of state-sponsored terrorism, he would act militarily. The Obama administration must react to this statement now," he said.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said he is "in no position to corroborate" the story Abdel-Jalil told Expressen.

Asked by ABCNews.com whether the information would lead to the United States' officially accusing Gadhafi of state-sponsored terrorism, Crowley said: "You know, that is an interesting story. Beyond that, I can't comment at this point."

ABC News' Kirit Radit contributed to this report.

Demonstration in Solidarity with Libya and all Arab Revolutions

2011-02-23T18:12:00.000-08:00

Demonstration in Solidarity with Libya and all Arab Revolutions

Saturday 26th February 3pm,
The Spire, Dublin City Centre

Workers Strikes in King Abdulla Financial Centre in Riyadh

2011-02-23T18:07:00.000-08:00

.
Report from Saudi Arabia - a very important development

posted by John Molyneux, 24.02.2011

Workers Strikes in King Abdulla Financial Centre in Riyadh

I went last Thursday to my workplace, and I found out that there were over 3000 workers demanding their rights before they called a general strike in the construction site in Saudi Binladin Group. The workers were very angry, there workplace is one of the largest construction project in the country, which worth SR.100 billion. However, they live in a terrible conditions, one of the workers was telling me how he was living: "I live in a room 4m x 3m with 8 people, and for every 10 people there is only one toilet". Another Egyptian worker was telling me about the working conditions and the restriction of religious freedom: "those are Zionists, they don’t even allow me to pray on time!!", and another worker was speaking about the water at the site, which is infected and full of filth and insects: "the managers wouldn’t even wash their hands with it, but for us we have to drink it because it is the only drinking water at the site". The others talked about the delayed salaries and the unpaid overtime: "can you believe that some of the workers here are paid only 700 riyals a month, and I am paid 1000 riyal, how would we survive??".

They couldn’t continue in the old way, they organized themselves and decided to do a demonstration at the site, to demand their rights immediately. It was the most interesting scene that I have witnessed in my life, when a group of coordinators and security guards tried to persuade them to go back to work the workers replied by smacking their hats on the walls and they shouted we demand "food, money , accommodation – we need to be respected!!", all the managers, for the first time since the start of the project 4 years ago, took the workers seriously.

The police force which had an oppressive role in this socity couldn’t control the workers, when of the police officers told the workers that they need to return to their accommodation and their issue will be solved later, the worker replied by throwing stones at him, and they managed to frighten all the police officers around him. The stones missed the police officer, but unfortunately it did not miss his car! It was the first time in my life I saw a police car smashed in Saudi Arabia.

When several coordinators, sent by thy managers, tried to promise the workers for change, I and several socialist we were pushing for the occupation of the construction site, but that did not work. However, when one of coordinators said: "we will give you a new accommodation with a football pitch", one of the workers replied: "how would we play football after 13 hours of work with an unpaid overtime?!" , then the coordinators promised that every worker will be paid after 5 days, someone replied: "what would we do with todays bread after 5 days, we need it now, we are sick of excuses, a billionaire cannot pay his workers today??!!"

In the end, the owner promised the workers that they will pay them on Saturday – which is after two days – the workers went back, and on Saturday they received an extra SR. 500 on top of their salary and the owners promised them that they will improve their accommodation and they will pay them 100 hour for their overtime each month. The workers started to organized with a sister company which belong to the same owners to start a new wave of strikes in different parts of the construction site. Through this week, there were several strike actions in King Fahad Library and in a construction sites in King Saud University.

24.02.2011

Moammar Gaddafi must pay for atrocities

2011-02-22T03:53:00.000-08:00

REPORTS FROM Libya Monday were sketchy and confused, but one conclusion appeared certain: The beleaguered dictatorship of Moammar Gaddafi was waging war against its own people and committing atrocities that demand not just condemnation but action by the outside world. Al-Jazeera reported that warplanes had joined security forces in attacking anti-government demonstrators in the capital, Tripoli; human rights groups said hundreds had been killed in clashes in the country's east. Libya's own delegation to the United Nations described the regime's actions as genocide and asked for international intervention.

The diplomats' appeal was one indication that the Gaddafi regime was on the verge of collapse. Opposition forces were reported to be in control of the second-largest city, Benghazi, and some military units may have switched sides. The whereabouts of Mr. Gaddafi, who has ruled Libya with a cruel and erratic hand since 1969, were unknown. However, his son and presumed heir Seif al-Islam Gaddafi delivered a rambling and chilling speech early Monday in which he warned of civil war and vowed that "we will fight until the last man, the last woman, the last bullet." On Monday, the regime appeared to be carrying out that threat.

Arab rulers in Tunisia, Egypt and Bahrain all employed violence against their popular uprisings. But the actions of the Libyan regime are on a different scale. What is occurring in Tripoli and other cities is not only lethal repression but also crimes against humanity. The United States has used its influence to restrain such violence by allied governments, most recently in Bahrain. Now it should join with its allies in demanding that the Gaddafi regime be held accountable for its crimes.

The first way to do that is a public call for regime change. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Monday that it was "time to stop this unacceptable bloodshed" in Libya; European leaders made similar statements. But the regime's actions demand much more forceful action, including an immediate downgrading of relations and the raising of Libya's case before the U.N. Security Council. The United States and the European Union should make clear that if the regime survives through violence, it will be subject to far-reaching sanctions, including on its oil industry.
Whether or not the Gaddafis remain in power, they should be brought to justice for the bloodshed they have caused. If a new government does not emerge in Libya, the Security Council should request that the International Criminal Court take up the case. Arab authoritarian regimes, and dictatorships around the world, must get the message that they cannot slaughter their own people with impunity.

2011-02-21T12:15:00.000-08:00

In Libya, riot police have killed demonstrators, and troops loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi have said they will "fight until the last man standing" to defend his regime.

Joint press release

2011-02-19T01:43:00.000-08:00

International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH)
Libyan League for Human Rights (LLH)

Joint press release

Libya - Towards a bloody revolution

http://www.fidh.org/Libya-Towards-a-bloody-revolution

February Friday 18, 2011 - The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Libyan League for Human Rights (LLH) strongly condemn the violent crackdown by security forces against the opponents to the Libyan regime protesting in cities across the country since Tuesday, February 15, 2011 .

This violent repression would have resulted in at least 30 dead and dozens wounded in north-eastern Libya, according to information gathered by human rights organizations. The number of dead and wounded is difficult to confirm as human rights defenders, forced into exile, do have to work from abroad and Libya remains largely closed to foreign media and international human rights organizations.

The "day of anger" on February 17, the anniversary of an earlier event which had caused 12 fatalities in 2006, has resulted in violent confrontations between the regime's opponents, who call for the establishment of a constitution and the rule of law in the country, and security forces which did not hesitate to fire live ammunition.

Militia and groups pro-Gaddafi groups, armed with knives, would have also participated in the repression. The revolutionary committees, pillars of the regime of Muammar Gaddafi have threatened with violent retaliation those who call into question the principles of the Libyan revolution.

In addition, according to reports, the injured would be denied access to hospitals and ambulance transport. Blood transfusions are forbidden to people who took part in demonstrations.

Moreover, hundreds of journalists and political opponents were arbitrarily arrested and detained by the Libyan security forces in the wake of these events.

FIDH and LLH condemn the disproportionate and excessive use of force and fear that the situation is getting worse.

FIDH and LLH call on the security forces to immediately stop firing live ammunition against demonstrators. Our organizations urge the Libyan government to release those detained arbitrarily and call upon the authorites to respect freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly.

Demonstration in support of the Libyan people uprising 17th Feb 2011

2011-02-17T13:47:00.000-08:00

Strike Wave in Egypt

2011-02-17T11:24:00.000-08:00

posted by John Molyneux, 17 Feb 2011

Egypt: Workers have taken to the stage of history

Hundreds of thousands of workers have taken action over the past week to defend the revolution and demand radical changes in their pay and working conditions.

Bus drivers in Cairo have been on strike since Thursday of last week. Mustafa Mohammed, a driver, said, “We are immersed in debts. We are staying until our demands are met.”

He added that the administration had sent a senior employee to “throw us a bone” with a holiday bonus, but it wasn’t enough.

Workers locked buses in the garages and released a statement declaring “down with Mubarak”. Other public transport workers have joined the strikes.

Railway workers around the capital have blocked the train tracks and held organising meetings on them. On Monday an army officer attempted to persuade the workers to leave. He was surrounded and shouted down, then left.

Sit-in

Meanwhile, in the Giza district of Cairo, hundreds of ambulance drivers protested for better pay and permanent jobs. Some 150 tourism workers demonstrated by Giza’s pyramids, calling for higher pay.

And workers at Masr Menufiya textile factory in Menufiya held a sit-in over wages.

Oil workers were set to strike this week demanding a halt to gas exports to Israel and to impeach minister Sameh Fahmy.

The Independent Syndicate for Real Estate Tax Workers organised a protest in front of the state-loyal Egyptian Trade Union Federation in Cairo, demanding the resignation of head Hussein Megawer, and the federation’s board.

Hundreds of Telecom Egypt workers blocked roads last week demanding higher wages and the resignation of the company’s board. They say their wages have stagnated for more than 20 years.

Some 5,000 post workers protested outside the Egypt Post Authority.

The mostly female workforce at the Egyptian Animal Health Research Centre demonstrated to demand the immediate resignation of the director.

“She’s totally corrupt,” said one worker. “She used the money for studying and preventing avian flu to build personal villas in Cairo and Alexandria.”

Padlocked

In Kafr Al Zayat, doctors joined 1,500 workers at a sit-in at the city’s public hospital.

And workers at Egypt’s largest factory, the Misr Spinning and Weaving textile factory, struck in solidarity with anti‑government protesters and to demand higher wages.

Workers at the factory—which employs 24,000 people in the Nile Delta city of Al-Mahalla al-Kubra—walked out on Thursday of last week, padlocked the buildings and massed in front of the administration offices.

Many of the workers are women. A court ruling raised the minimum wage last year, but workers say they haven’t been paid the new rate.

Strike organiser Faisal Naousha said, “Mubarak’s resignation was one of our main demands. Now that it has happened, we will refocus on our economic demands.”

They suspended the strike on Monday of this week. Faisal says they have gone back to work “for now” but will keep fighting.

Pro-Democracy Activists Turn Attention to Gadhafi - WSJ.com

2011-02-14T03:02:00.001-08:00

In the wake of the resignation of Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, online activists are threatening to test one of the Arab world's most repressive regimes: Col. Moammar Gadhafi's Libya.

Expatriate activists and an amorphous group of bloggers and social-network users—it isn't clear how many of them are in Libya—are calling for protests across the oil-rich North African nation on Thursday. They are hoping to draw momentum from the revolts in Egypt and Tunisia and to commemorate two of the grislier events in Col. Gadhafi's nearly 42-year reign.

On Feb. 17, 1987, nine young Libyans were publicly executed after being convicted of plotting to kill Libyan and foreign officials. The executions—some by hanging, some by firing squad—were repeatedly aired on state TV.

Regional Upheaval
Protests Expand Across Arab Nations
Tunisian Influx Taxes Italy
Egypt Talk Eludes China's Web Police
View Interactive
.A succession of rallies and demonstrations, in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Algeria have been inspired directly by the popular outpouring of anger that toppled Tunisian President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali. See how these uprisings have progressed.
.On the same day in 2006, Libyan security forces fired on demonstrators outside the Italian consulate in Benghazi, killing more than 10. Protesters had gathered after an Italian minister was seen on TV in a T-shirt emblazoned with a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed.

Libya suffers some of the same ills as its North African neighbors, Tunisia, Egypt and Algeria, which also has seen large-scale protests erupt in recent weeks. Col. Gadhafi has ruled for decades with an iron fist, tolerating little political opposition. Unemployment is high and the population is growing fast. Food and other prices soared in 2008, retreated amid the global economic crisis, but are heading higher again.

Amid the regional turmoil, Libya has taken some measures to ease rising prices, reducing duties on some food staples in mid-January. On Sunday, the government-affiliated Tripoli Post reported Libyan authorities released 12 political prisoners late last week, a move interpreted as an attempt to quell political opposition.

Government officials in Tripoli say Libya is insulated from the regional unrest. "We are not suffering from a similar system to Egypt and other Arab states," said Abdulmajeed Eldursi, a government spokesman. He credits what Col. Gadhafi has called Libya's "direct democracy," a loosely defined and frequently changing policy of decentralized, grass-roots governance.

In practice, Col. Gadhafi holds all levers of state power, frequently shuffling and dismissing government ministers.

Libya's small population of about 6.5 million and its massive oil wealth give it more room to manage economic woes. Economic output, estimated by the International Monetary Fund at just under $13,000 per capita, is more than four times Egypt. In recent years, Col. Gadhafi has ordered increased economic liberalization. A few years ago, he created a sovereign wealth fund that has bought up large shares of some of the world's best-known corporations, including banking, energy and media interests.

Theodore Karasik, director of research and development at the Dubai-based Institute for Near East & Gulf Military Analysis, said Libya's population, concentrated in just a handful of urban areas, makes it easier to control. Libya also is benefiting from higher global oil prices, and a rural population that has been largely left to its own devices.

"Libya is a different model to Egypt and Tunisia," he said.

Still, there are signs of worry in Tripoli. Col. Gadhafi chastised protesters in Tunisia when they ousted their long-time leader last month, imploring them to bring back their exiled president. He also lashed out at Wikileaks, accusing foreign powers of using leaked American diplomatic cables to sow instability.

Libya has been dealing recently with its own Wikileaks fallout. Earlier this month, Libya's top oil official denied allegations contained in a U.S. cable released by the group that said he was under pressure to provide $1.2 billion in cash or oil to one of Col. Gadhafi's sons.

"Any wise man has to take certain precautions, this will be the situation in every country in the Middle East, and even in America," said Shokri Ghanem, a former prime minister and the top Libyan oil official mentioned in the Wikileaks cables.

London rallies to back Egypt's revolution

2011-02-13T04:40:00.000-08:00

London rallies to back Egypt's revolution

by Siận Ruddick and Tom Walker

Thousands of people took to Trafalgar Square in central London today, Saturday, the day after Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak finally stepped down. People sang, chanted and danced to celebrate the fact that Egypt’s 30-year old dictatorship was over.

Abdullah was in the crowd with his partner and children. He said, "I have been outside the embassy most days since the revolution started. I will now be proud to show my children the country where their parents are from, to show the Tahrir Square and all the other places where the protests happened.

"The Egyptian people have changed their own lives, and the lives of all of us. Today is the day for celebration, but tomorrow the fight goes on for the heart of the country. What the future holds I don't know, but I have faith that the Egyptian people will not give up."

One Syrian activist told the crowd, “Thank you Tunisia, thank you Egypt. You gave us the example and we want to do the same. Syria's dictator says we are not ready for freedom. I say we are ready. We are going to do it.”

The TUC and Amnesty International called the rally.

Trade unionists and campaigners addressed the crowd, including NUJ union president Pete Murray, UCU union general secretary Sally Hunt and the general secretary of the International Transport Workers' Federation, David Cockcroft.

He said, “In the last two to three days in Egypt there have been strikes of bus workers, rail workers, and maritime workers on the Suez canal. This is great. I hope Egyptian workers can show leadership around the Arab world.

“Democracy is about the people taking control – that's what we want to see.”

London had erupted with street celebrations on Friday evening, after people heard that Mubarak had gone.

On Edgware Road in west London, the streets were alive with joy. Bus drivers honked their horns and cars flew Egyptian flags as people celebrated on the main road and side streets on Friday night.

Saira, a British Egyptian,said , "Don't ever let anyone say that protesting never achieved anything. Today ordinary people like us changed the world. Of course we have to see what comes next, but tonight we can be glad of this huge event.

“My parents said they thought they would die with Mubarak still in power. I’m so glad they have seen the start of a new Egypt and a new future."

Another woman said, "I trust the army to look after the country for now, but we need elections very soon."

But her friend interrupted saying, "I'm not so sure about the army. In the last few days they tried to stop people from protesting. They did not fight on our side all the time so I hope the people carry on protesting and make Egypt truly free – from Mubarak and all his friends.

London Celebrates fall of Mubarak

2011-02-11T16:47:00.000-08:00

Fri 11 Feb 2011
London cheers in solidarity with Egyptian revolution

Demonstrators in support of the Egyptian Revolution take to the streets of London's Edgware Road

All up and down the Edgware Road the protest grew on Friday evening. Cars and buses honked, some with Egyptian flags. Staff and customers poured out of shops, cafes and restaurants to join this utterly jubilant crowd. There were smiles everywhere.

People danced and played drums on top of post boxes and anything else that would hold them. “Bye Bye Mubarak” was one of the favourite chants.

posted by John Molyneux 12 Feb 2011