Salha Mohamed Soussi · @Sal7a
26th Mar 2011 from Twitlonger
PLZ RT a press release concerning what happened to Iman El Obeidi by my friends at Democratic Libya Information Bureau.. How much more of this can we take??!
Tripoli-Benghasi, March 26th, 2011 - (Democratic Libya Information Bureau) During the opening days of the Libyan uprising Saif Al Islam Gaddafi invited the international media to come to Tripoli and see for themselves that “the people are with the regime.” At the time, the regime’s narrative was that there was nothing going on at all and that the “uprising” was somehow the concoction of Al Jazeera. It has since morphed into a combination of Al Qaida infiltration; western imperialism and youths high on Tramadol, a painkiller whose only side effects are constipation and drowsiness.
It is no secret that the international press have effectively been under house arrest ever since they arrived. Their purpose, as far as the regime is concerned, is to film government press releases and conduct interviews with the Tyrant and his sons. Occasionally, they would be taken on a tightly choreographed field trip to see pro Gaddafi supporters chanting and singing. The fate of some of the journalists who have ventured out without government permission has been detention, deportation, torture and some have simply disappeared without a trace.
Today the regimes attempt to keep journalists from witnessing the truth backfired when the truth came to them. Iman El-Obeidi, a Libyan national, stormed into The Rixos Hotel, one the hotels housing the international press, to show the world her wounds and bruises and tell the journalists that she had been raped by no less than 15 Gaddafi thugs. El-Obeidi was pounced on by security officials who then stuffed her into a car as she yelled that they were taking her to prison. Even more disturbing was the reaction of the staff at the Rixos hotel some of whom picked up table knives and threatened the panicked woman whilst others attempted to cover her face and silence her in any way they could. Journalists attempting to intervene on her behalf were kicked and beaten by government officials. Footage of the incident has since been shown on several news networks. The government later blamed the incident on the woman’s mental state and claimed that she was drunk, adding two new elements to their twisted narrative. Iman El-Obeid’s fate remains unknown. However, what is known is that she is a hero of the Libyan uprising. She showed great strength and courage in the face of the oppressors and we pray for her safety.
The Gaddafi regime has committed almost every conceivable crime against the Libyan people. In Zawiya the tyrant has even managed to commit crimes against the dead by exhuming bodies of victims so as to leave no trace of the crimes committed. The regime has kidnapped over 20,000 men between the ages of 15 and 60. They have stormed hospital wards and thrown the wounded from the windows. Thugs have looted shops destroyed homes and raped women all in the name of the great King of Kings.
Yesterday, in what can only be described as a sick joke, the regime’s delegation to the African Union meeting said that it is now ready for a ceasefire and to talk to the pro democracy revolutionaries about their “legitimate” demands. If our demands have not been clear we would like to take this opportunity to clarify them once and for all. We demand the unconditional surrender of the Gaddafi regime, the prosecution of all those responsible for the crimes committed against the Libyan people and a transition to democracy. These are the only terms we are prepared to offer and these are the only terms we are prepared to accept.
Democratic Libya Information Bureau
citizensforademocraticlibya@gmail.com