(WARNING): Article contains propaganda!
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Many in Libya support the freeing of hundreds of imprisoned Islamists, but others remain wary of the move's implications for society.
By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 29/03/10
Libya's release of hundreds of Islamist prisoners has been received by the public with a mix of welcome and apprehension about the future.
Authorities on Wednesday (March 23rd) released 214 repentant supporters and leaders of terrorist groups, including dozens from the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), after the militants renounced terrorism. A total of 705 Islamists have been set free to date; according to Saif al-Islam Kadhafi, son of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, a remaining 232 prisoners will be released soon.
"This...is a day of reconciliation and reunion", Saif al-Islam Kadhafi said in a press conference marking the release. "To me, in my capacity as the president of the Kadhafi Foundation, which sponsored this step, this day means an initiative of dialogue with all the Islamic groups in prison or overseas."
The release of the latest group, which includes LIFG emir Abdelhakim Belhaj and the group's military chief Khaled Shrif, "opens the bridges of dialogue, discussion and reintegration of all the brothers into society so that they may be tools for building, rather than tools for demolition", he added.
In a 417-page document released last September, "Corrective Studies on the Doctrine of Jihad, Hesba and Ruling", the Libyan group repudiated al-Qaeda and denounced the killing of civilians under the pretext of jihad. The document's authors include the brother of al-Qaeda terrorist and former LIFG leader Abu Yahya al-Libi, who was killed in Pakistan in 2008.
Many Libyans contacted by Magharebia viewed the mass release positively, but hoped the government would take further steps.
"We welcome the release, though we consider it to be a very late step," rights activist Alaa Mohamed Dersi said. But he added that "there are still innocent prisoners or prisoners who've completed their terms and were not among [those] released today".
"The release of senior LIFG leaders is considered a step in the right direction for proceeding with the reform of Libyan society from within," social activist Ghaida Touati said. "I hope that the policy of dialogue and reconciliation will continue, because I consider it to be the only way to re-structure Libyan society from within and to reject the policy of exclusion and restriction of freedoms."
"I won't forget to mention another prisoner of conscience, namely my colleague and writer Jamal Hajji, who's still in prison," added Touati. "I hope he'll be released soon."
Others cautioned that the release alone was not a cure for issues facing Libyan society, particularly those involving the judiciary.
"When we look at the issue from the angle of rights that were violated, we find that the violations were not restricted to illegal detention of suspects, but also were made against people whose acquittal was proven by court judgments," lawyer Abdessalam Mesmari said in a statement to Magharebia. "These violations constituted serious crimes, including unjustified denial of freedom, failure to implement court judgments, and even public insult and ridicule of the judiciary to find pretexts for the continued detention of hundreds of prisoners who were acquitted by the courts."
"The only way to guarantee that these violations will not be repeated is by legally deterring those responsible by trying them; otherwise, it will be like a poorly-directed, absurd carnival focused on undermining people's rights and then condescending to give them the same, in a celebration in which the victims and their relatives show happiness and gratitude," added the lawyer.
In his statements to reporters on March 23rd, Saif al-Islam Kadhafi offered a more upbeat view of the release, highlighting his foundation's role in re-integrating the released Islamists into society.
"There is a program that we sponsor, related to how we can help them now that they have their freedom, how they can return to the society, and how we can rehabilitate them so that they may be reintegrated in a correct way and become effective and constructive forces in society, in terms of education and job opportunities."
Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/03/29/feature-01.
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Many in Libya support the freeing of hundreds of imprisoned Islamists, but others remain wary of the move's implications for society.
By Jamel Arfaoui for Magharebia in Tunis – 29/03/10
Libya's release of hundreds of Islamist prisoners has been received by the public with a mix of welcome and apprehension about the future.
Authorities on Wednesday (March 23rd) released 214 repentant supporters and leaders of terrorist groups, including dozens from the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), after the militants renounced terrorism. A total of 705 Islamists have been set free to date; according to Saif al-Islam Kadhafi, son of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, a remaining 232 prisoners will be released soon.
"This...is a day of reconciliation and reunion", Saif al-Islam Kadhafi said in a press conference marking the release. "To me, in my capacity as the president of the Kadhafi Foundation, which sponsored this step, this day means an initiative of dialogue with all the Islamic groups in prison or overseas."
The release of the latest group, which includes LIFG emir Abdelhakim Belhaj and the group's military chief Khaled Shrif, "opens the bridges of dialogue, discussion and reintegration of all the brothers into society so that they may be tools for building, rather than tools for demolition", he added.
In a 417-page document released last September, "Corrective Studies on the Doctrine of Jihad, Hesba and Ruling", the Libyan group repudiated al-Qaeda and denounced the killing of civilians under the pretext of jihad. The document's authors include the brother of al-Qaeda terrorist and former LIFG leader Abu Yahya al-Libi, who was killed in Pakistan in 2008.
Many Libyans contacted by Magharebia viewed the mass release positively, but hoped the government would take further steps.
"We welcome the release, though we consider it to be a very late step," rights activist Alaa Mohamed Dersi said. But he added that "there are still innocent prisoners or prisoners who've completed their terms and were not among [those] released today".
"The release of senior LIFG leaders is considered a step in the right direction for proceeding with the reform of Libyan society from within," social activist Ghaida Touati said. "I hope that the policy of dialogue and reconciliation will continue, because I consider it to be the only way to re-structure Libyan society from within and to reject the policy of exclusion and restriction of freedoms."
"I won't forget to mention another prisoner of conscience, namely my colleague and writer Jamal Hajji, who's still in prison," added Touati. "I hope he'll be released soon."
Others cautioned that the release alone was not a cure for issues facing Libyan society, particularly those involving the judiciary.
"When we look at the issue from the angle of rights that were violated, we find that the violations were not restricted to illegal detention of suspects, but also were made against people whose acquittal was proven by court judgments," lawyer Abdessalam Mesmari said in a statement to Magharebia. "These violations constituted serious crimes, including unjustified denial of freedom, failure to implement court judgments, and even public insult and ridicule of the judiciary to find pretexts for the continued detention of hundreds of prisoners who were acquitted by the courts."
"The only way to guarantee that these violations will not be repeated is by legally deterring those responsible by trying them; otherwise, it will be like a poorly-directed, absurd carnival focused on undermining people's rights and then condescending to give them the same, in a celebration in which the victims and their relatives show happiness and gratitude," added the lawyer.
In his statements to reporters on March 23rd, Saif al-Islam Kadhafi offered a more upbeat view of the release, highlighting his foundation's role in re-integrating the released Islamists into society.
"There is a program that we sponsor, related to how we can help them now that they have their freedom, how they can return to the society, and how we can rehabilitate them so that they may be reintegrated in a correct way and become effective and constructive forces in society, in terms of education and job opportunities."
Source: Magharebia.com
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/03/29/feature-01.
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