Fathi Eljahmi
Fathi Eljahmi (Arabic: فتحي الجهمي) ( 4 April 1941 - 21 May 2009) was Libya's "most prominent democratic dissident"[1] until his death, and received significant international attention.[2][3][4][5]
He was arrested in October 2002 and sentenced to five years in prison for stating at a 'People's Conference' in Tripoli that reform in Libya would require a constitution, free speech and democracy.[6] He was briefly released in March 2004 after U.S. Senator Joe Biden met with Gaddafi,[2][3] and then re-imprisoned[1] after calling for democratization of Libya in a television interview.[5] In early 2004 he, his wife, and his eldest son were taken into custody.[7][8] The Libyan government claimed that Eljahmi was put on trial in late 2005, accused of the capital charges of "trying to overthrow the government, insulting Col. Gaddafi and contacting foreign authorities, after he talked to a US diplomat."[5] During her visit to Libya, the American Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pleaded for Eljahmi's release from solitary detention.[9] Eljahmi remained imprisoned.[1] ElJahmi died on 21 May 2009 in Amman, Jordan, where he had been evacuated for emergency medical treatment after he fell into a coma in Libyan custody.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c "Gadhafi gets more than he deserves". http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/rosett090607.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-23.
- ^ a b Support Builds for Libyan Dissident, by Nora Boustany, Washington Post, Nov 16, 2006
- ^ a b For a Critic, Libya's Nascent Openness Doesn't Apply, by Craig S. Smith, New York Times, Dec 27, 2004
- ^ Dissident Watch: Fathi El-Jahmi, The Middle East Quarterly, vol XI, number 4, Fall 2004
- ^ a b c Trial fears for Libyan dissident, BBC News, May 5, 2006
- ^ Are We Keeping Faith? Meet Fathi Eljahmi, a Libyan freedom-fighter, by Claudia Rosett, Wall Street Journal, March 24, 2004
- ^ Dial a Dissident:Why won't Gadhafi let Fathi Eljahmi answer his phone?, by Claudia Rosett, Wall Street Journal, April 7, 2004
- ^ Will Anyone Answer? "Tell them we are ready for democracy": a Libyan dissident's message to Washington, by Claudia Rosett, Wall Street Journal, June 15, 2005
- ^ John Phillips (2008-09-09). "Libya rejects US prisoner plea". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/libya-rejects-us-prisoner-plea-921717.html.
[edit] External links
- Amnesty international report.
- Dissident Watch: Fathi El-Jahmi, Middle East Quarterly, meet the man Mu'ammar al-Gadhafi doesn't want anyone to meet.
- Free Fathi El Jahmi Petition
- Weekly Update, Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Nov 9, 2004
