Ahmed al-Senussi
Template:Libyan Royal Family Ahmed Al-Zubair al-Senussi, also known as Zubeir Ahmed El-Sharif, (Arabic: أحمد الزبير الشريف) (born 1933) is a Libyan member of the Senussi house and a member of the National Transitional Council representing political prisoners.[1][2] He is a great-nephew of Idris of Libya, the only king of Libya, and was named after his grandfather Ahmed Sharif as-Senussi.[2][3] Ahmed al-Senussi graduated from the Military Academy of Iraq in 1953. In 1961 he married his wife Fatilah, since deceased.[2]
In 1970, he began planning to overthrow Muammar Gaddafi one year after Gaddafi had seized power in a military coup. Along with his brother and other conspirators, he sought to replace the Gaddafi government and give people a chance to choose between a monarchy or a constitutional republic.[3] He was arrested and sentenced to death; however, in 1988 his sentence was commuted to an additional 13 years incarceration. He stayed in solitary confinement for the first nine years of his sentence and was frequently tortured.[2] He claims that the torture included frequent beatings with sticks, being strung up by his hands and legs, nearly drowned, and having his feet broken.[3] After being let out of solitary confinement, he shared a cell with numerous other prisoners, including Omar El-Hariri. After being transferred to Abu Salim prison in 1984, he learned that his wife had died while he was in captivity.[2] He received a pardon on the 32nd anniversary of Gaddafi taking power.[3] He was held as a political prisoner for 31 years until his release in 2001, making him the longest incarcerated prisoner in modern Libyan history.[4]
On 27 October 2011, the European Parliament chose him with four other Arab people to win Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2011.[5]
References
- ^ "National Transitional Council". Benghazi: National Transitional Council. 2011. Archived from the original on 25 August 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Stock, Johnathan (13 March 2011). "Gaddafi-Opfer Al-Senussi: Gott entscheidet, was mit dir passiert". Der Spiegel (in German). SPIEGEL-Verlag. Archived from the original on 25 August 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ a b c d "Arm us to save us: Libyan ex-prisoner appeals". Univision. Doral, Florida. Univision Communications. 13 March 2011. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011. Retrieved 26 August 2011.
- ^ Brandeisky, Kara; Jarad Vary; Matthew Zeitlin (23 August 2011). "Meet the New Leaders of Libya". The New Republic. Washington, D.C. Mike Rancilio. Archived from the original on 25 August 2011. Retrieved 25 August 2011.
- ^ http://www.europarl.europa.eu/en/headlines/content/20111014FCS29297/1/html/Three-finalists-for-Sakharov-Prize-2011-honouring-human-rights-activists
- Living people
- 1933 births
- Senussi dynasty
- People of the 2011 Libyan civil war
- Libyan Muslims
- Prisoners sentenced to death by Libya
- Libyan prisoners sentenced to death
- Libyan torture victims
- Libyan politicians
- Government ministers of Libya
- Members of the National Transitional Council
- Recipients of the Sakharov Prize
- Libyan people of Algerian descent