As the fighting continues in Libya, the Gaddafi government has invited foreign reporters to Tripoli, as long as they stay in the Rixos hotel. They are barred from leaving to report on actual events, but occasionally get to hear government statements or get taken on organized tours for propaganda purposes.
That tightly-controlled system was violated this morning when Eman al-Obeidy, a Libyan woman from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi, escaped from two days of imprisonment at the hands of Gaddafi’s militia. She managed to flee to the Rixos, where she told reporters about her ordeal. According to Obeidy, she was tied up, beaten, and raped by 15 men, who also defecated and urinated on her. She pleaded for her friends who are still in custody, and showed a number of bruises and injuries on her body.
Being surrounded by international media did not keep her safe, as she was soon confronted by security forces as she told her story. Despite resisting frantically and some attempts at intervention by journalists, she was taken away in a car. Hotel employees sided with the security forces, threatening Obeidy and using knives to hold off journalists who were trying to help her. Soon thereafter, government spokespeople accused her of being drunk and mentally ill, claiming that her story of rape and abuse was a fantasy.
Here’s a video of Obeidy being taken away. Warning: intense and very real.
There are lots of document that can prove such a thing (raping, torturing and …) happening in prisons of Iran. But, unfortunately, west Medias do not pay attention these documents and stories. Government killed hundreds of protestors after their fake presidential election of 2009. And now, there are hundreds are protestors who are torturing in prisons of Iran and every week government execute tens of opponents.
Like Libyan, Iranians also need support of people around the world.
What a coincidence — Libya, isn’t that the place where there’s a war going on? Where the dictator fell out of favor when he mentioned maybe nationalizing their oil industry? But he didn’t have the sense to embed the journalists. And then the barbarians let the poor woman live! What a bunch of depraved barbaric clowns. Saddam ate babies, you know. I wonder how much depleted uranium has been fired at the barbarian dictator so far. Not as much as in Iraq, I bet. Maybe not even as much as in Gaza. Say, how about a “human interest” piece on the effects of depleted uranium?
So now it is Sean’s turn to advocate human rights!
Interesting to see how US is worried about civilians in Libya. Why didn’t they raise their voice for people of Bahrain?
It is foolish to believe that America has compromised its views about their new position in the world. Obama is only a new face for American exceptionalism.
The only true agent that can bring change to US policies is for it to be under constant attack so that it would be brought to it’s knees like a mad cow! Uncle Sam delightfully deserves this!
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sickening! sickening!
@AAS, @David George
Why on earth are you two standing up for Gaddafi? He’s operated like this for years.
David Says: What a coincidence — Libya, isn’t that the place where there’s a war going on?
Trent Says: Yes, David that is where a rebellion erupted against a regime that tried to suppress protests by killing scores of protestors. A coincidence that the same regime engages in such behavior? Hardly.
David Says: Where the dictator fell out of favor when he mentioned maybe nationalizing their oil industry?
Trent Says: You just made that up, did you not?
David Says: But he didn’t have the sense to embed the journalists.
Trent: No he did not have that sense he only confined them to a hotel surrounded by government minders and security agents. Then some one who was viciously victimized by said regime had the gall to go to said journalist and complain about her treatment. Clearly a Zionist agent. /s
David Says: And then the barbarians let the poor woman live!
Trent Says: You did not watch the video did you? If you had she said mentioned having escaped. Tell me, David, since you clearly think this women’s story is a hoax: How do you convince some one to be arrested by a hostile government that is known to brutally treat its prisoners? What incentive do you use? What evidence do you have?
I don’t defend Gaddafi, he’s the tin pot dictator of the week. But I am not impressed by crocodile tears shed for some phony “human rights” PR setup when it’s really about oil and strategic advantage. And along with that global war goes real suffering by defenseless people who are tyrannized on all sides. I don’t see any tears shed for those millions of people — dead by depleted uranium, land mines, cluster bombs and whatever else the generals figure might come in useful in the long war of global capital against the weak of Earth, or displaced without any future. (Now I’m starting to get mad, so I’ll shut up — just one more — Democrats, Republicans, and Social Darwinists make me sick!)
And no, I didn’t make it up about Gaddafi’s recent inclination for nationalization. Check it out for yourself.
Sean,
Notice how the U.S. and its allies have not intervened in Zimbabwe to quell the draconia actions of R. Mugabe going back as long as Gaddafi’s. Why is this? It is primarily because there is no advantage to be gained by invading this small relatively resource poor African country. As unpalatable as it may be, nations do not invade other countries, spend money, risk personel, and risk retaliation unless there is some geostrategic advantage to doing so; in fact, I cannot think of one example of a genuinely humanitarian intervention in recorded history– can anyone else?
Speaking of women, the Western intervention in Libya, and other “humanitarian interventions”, is sort of like a man intervening to stop another man from beating up his girlfriend with the central motive behind doing so is to have the other man’s girlfriend become his girlfriend. She may indeed benefit even though the interventionist’s motive is less than pure.
Shorter David: But the Americans!
@Forester,
Is it your position that unless you take on all troubled spots in the world you can take on none? What kind of moral reasoning is this? Tell me, when Vietnam invaded Cambodia and ended the genocide going on there did you object. Too you young? Well then do think it was wrong for Vietnam to end the genocide in Cambodia? If not, why not?
Realistically you simply cannot attack every nasty country within a UN mandate. Look how difficult it was to get this through the UN – 5 abstentions (I thought Susan Rice was tremendous at the UN) and the use of force under the UN has to be passed without a veto by a dissenting country, I think. And Russia and China abstained on this one probably because of their own internal suppression methods and deals with Libya. Maybe they were sitting on the fence because they didn’t know how it would turn out – best to be noncommital for them!
Here in the UK, Parliament votes to support (or not) such military action, which they did for Libya. They would never support military action everywhere and a UK government would probably fall if tried this – judgement would be questioned and the Prime Minister would go. So it just can’t be done. You can criticize and sanction but that’s it.
Sure, Libya has oil but people started this revolution in Libya, not oil lobbyists, after which Gadaffi violently attacked these people. Also the UK Prime Minister has been the moral driving force behind this defense of the Libyan people and he has been in close contact with Obama on this from the beginning. So there is also powerful punchy morality at work here.
You only have to see Cameron speak about this to realize his resolve and anger and he also said very early on, to his great credit, that he would attack Gaddafi without a UN resolution. So this one is not about oil. But maybe hopefully it was a moral wake up for Cameron and the UK Government (and a few other western governments) because we were trading with Libya for years. It’s a crap double-dealing world.
I am very disappointed to see this kind of piece on cosmic variance. The western media is so obviously corrupt to anyone paying the slightest attention. And our foreign policy… do we really need to discuss that?
I am really surprised that someone who employs the scientific method as a career fails to be skeptical of these stories. I don’t know if this story is true, but taking our media’s track record it is most likely a flat out fabrication. And even if it isn’t, this situation in Libya was created by the west and is now supposedly being ‘fixed’. This is a war for resources. The west is just stealing stuff from the rest of the world.
The whole humanitarian catastrophe is just a cheap excuse so we can feel noble while enjoying the benefits of these policies. It is shameful enough that you don’t raise your voice against this… But repeating propaganda on a science blog is just pathetic… You feel better now that you are saving the world?
@ Milan,
You think you are this amazing open minded person who can not be fooled by the western propaganda, don’t you? Then consider this…
Has it ever occurred to you that there might be other ways of assessing the situation in a foreign country than just listening/reading western news? Like talking to a native of the country who can probably tell you about the situation better than some new agencies.
Being and Iranian studying in US, I was very pleased when after the green movement in Iran people approached me and wanted to know more about the social and political situation in Iran from someone who has lived there for most of his life. Maybe you could try it too! Maybe it is not all western propaganda! Maybe there are brutal bastards out there torturing, killing and raping their own people!
I sincerely think you are the one who should be shameful, for being such an idiot.
Aljazeera has also reported on this incident so I don’t see what the western medias bias (whether true or not) has to do with anything. Unless your suggesting that the western media orchestrated it and then reported it which requires quite an imagination to accept. I think the western powers are doing the right thing by intervening in Libya whether they are doing it in good faith or not will be questioned by many people who see that the same countries have not been even vocal enough when it comes to Yemen (a U.S ally) or Bahrain. Qaddafi’s mentality is that anyone who questions his rule is an enemy of the Libyan state and he is willing to eliminate all such people (even if they number in the millions). Yemeni president is not as crazy as Qaddafi although his stubbornness to stick to power has caused the loss of too many lives that no president or person is worth. Since I come from a Shia family my views about the situation in Bahrain could well be biased. U.S and its allies would be worried that in a democracy in Bahrain the shias will come in power. Any shia led government will most definitely be very close to Iran. Imagine a new Jewish country, it will most definitely be very close to Israel. So when it come to Bahrain the Western powers are in a catch-22. Do the right thing and go with the people of Bahrain and you strengthen iran’s influence in the region. Keep quiet and the King will do everything to stay in power which is morally unacceptable to the West. It is like the time when the west was pushing for elections in Palestine which Hammas won.
I don’t get people’s anger towards Sean. Is he just the closest American you can vent your frustrations on? Alex c don’t those two are not advocating Qaddafi they are angry at the west’s double standard on certain issues, completely different to what your saying. This lady is one tough person. Respect to her. Funny that the oppression of Shias in Saudi Arabia although accepted by all is not even making the news. Oil vs human rights. Oil is the winner always
I hope she will get out but I am saddened to say she may never be seen again. 🙁 What a disgusting country, did ANYBODY learn from WW2?
@EA thanks for the compliment…
having grown up in a troubled country and spending half of my youth protesting (the kind when police beats you every other day and people get killed) against a dictator I have some idea of what you are talking about… I also wished for the west to intervene and help us and when they finally did it became quite obvious what was happening… good luck with that…
@clericpope the west is quite successful at orchestrating these kinds of things… remember wmds?
the point is that this kind of story has no place on a science blog… if you want to be a political activist then step up and talk about everything all the time… cover the whole picture… if you’re going to post a single horror story in months, true or not, then, at least to me, you just seem emotionally driven and have no idea what you are talking about…
The rebels are happy with the west as so far they are benefiting from the western support. The moment the rebels feel that the west is after their resources they will turn against them. Lets hope that the west is not punked as they where in Afghanistan. They once armed the mujaheddin who fought the Soviets only to fight amongst themselves later. The westerners turned their back and Pakistan created and pushed the Taliban in to Afghanistan who are now good buddies of Alqaeda and are now a threat to both Afghanistan and Pakistan itself. What I am saying is that the Libyan people will need continuous support and attention from the west for years to come. If a civil war continues for years to come than it is a slap in the face. In that case the intervention would have served no purpose (that is of helping the Libyan people). I have spoken for the shia people only to see that the Iranian regime has violated some of its own people as the two Iranians here have said. O’boy what a world we live in.
The culprit is religion. I better stop.
Milan if you read the blog intro it clearly says that Sean and other contributors talk on any issue they find interesting. How can you tell people what to do and what not to do? ( Ironically I am doing it to you. hahaaa).
Man, what is up with the comments on this one. Must be something in the water.
Anyway, to those claiming that this is about resources, basic logic should tell you otherwise. If “the West” (as if that’s one bloc) just wanted Libya’s resources, they would have sat back and let Gaddafi squash the rebellion (he was succeeding at just that until a few days ago). This would have been utterly cynical, but it would have restored “stability” in the country quite quickly, and thus led to a stable source of oil, which apparently you think is all we want.
Now when the leaders of many countries worldwide (NOT just the west) decided to take a moral stand against Gaddafi’s brutal repression of his citizens (and the thousands of innocent civilians killed), NOW you accuse those leaders of being just after the resources? Just can’t win with some people.
I just heard on Sky News an interview with a Libyan government spokesman that they were giving Eman al-Obeidy a lawyer and promised reporters they could interview her in a couple of days. They are desperately trying to appear human.
A brilliant piece here on how a leading French philosopher got President Sarkozy to go for military action against Gadaffi.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/27/libya-bernard-henri-levy-france
Just went with his gut feelings to protect innocents. He was in the right place to influence the situation and did it. Beautiful.
There was also an interview with a senior RAF commander two days ago. “We are watching over the peaceful people of Libya”. Nice
I think it is a fair question, Why should we intervene in Libya when we didn’t do anything for Bahrain or for Zimbabwe?
As a matter of moral principle, I don’t see that there is a lot to differentiate among these cases.
I suspect that there is an oil issue: Where an intervention would pose a direct threat to our access to oil, we won’t do it.
What I think is special to Libya is that the people living there have risen up and have come very close, on their own, to succeeding. (Up until a few days before the strike, it looked like they were winning.) It seems as though it would take relatively little effort to help them over the hump.
It’s the difference between rescuing someone from drowning when he’s 100 meters off-shore, and you would have to swim out and try to rescue him; or when he’s 1 meter off the shore, but exhausted and can’t quite make it. On moral principles, they’re equally deserving; but on psychological principles, I think one has a harder time saying “no” in one case.
@clericpope I just admire what they are doing by speaking for science and rationality and feel disappointed that they cant keep the same standard here. I’m not trying to tell them what to do…
it is never that simple when you see these things for yourself… many books can be written on just the key issues of any single conflict in the world… this is a very important point that many people can’t seem to understand…
instead of a genuine effort to help, otherwise smart people engage in endless debates on whether the intervention was a ‘right or wrong thing to do’ or some similarly noble issue and generate the most elaborate and plausible sounding theories that you can imagine… all of them having very little to do with the reality of the situation… we call that arm chair intellectualism…
so, instead of a thorough analysis of the issues by someone knowledgable on the subject (preferably an outsider who has spent a significant amount of time there AND spent a lot of time studying the issues) we get a horror story that seems to justify a military intervention from a country with a long record of horrible foreign policy… I can get that by turning on the tv, thank you very much…
Thank you for posting the article, Sean.
Humanitarian concerns constitute a large part of the World’s motivation.
Milan Says: so, instead of a thorough analysis of the issues by someone knowledgable on the subject (preferably an outsider who has spent a significant amount of time there AND spent a lot of time studying the issues) we get a horror story that seems to justify a military intervention from a country with a long record of horrible foreign policy…
Trent Says: You do realize that:
1. The war was ongoing before this person showed up?
2. The U.K , France, Canada, and Spain have been involved.
3. It is the U.K and France that pushed for action?
Of course we should also note that you have failed to provide even a hint of evidence for your skepticism.