Imprisoned Libyan Opposition Leader Dangerously Ill

WASHINGTON – Libyan opposition leader Fathi el-Jahmi has grown dangerously ill in prison according to a report that will be released today by an independent group of physicians allowed to visit him in February.The report from Physicians for Human Rights concludes that Mr. el-Jahmi, who is 63 years old and has been in and out of prison since he first crossed Muammar Gadhafi in 1973, is suffering from complications from diabetes and dangerously high blood pressure. His symptoms include vertigo, sleeplessness, nausea, and fever. The report recommends that Libyan authorities transfer him to a long-term care facility and allow him to choose his doctors. It pointedly says that its “assessment shows that Mr. el-Jahmi’s physicians are not doing enough to reduce his diabetes-related complications.”Mr. el-Jahmi, a former governor of al-Khaleej province and an early ally of Colonel Muammar Gadhafi, was one of the first dissidents to publicly criticize Libya’s leader during the 1970s. On March 26, 2004, he was released from jail only to be abducted by security services 14 days later – along with his wife and two sons. Today, he is being held at an undisclosed prison in Libya. While he is not charged with any crime, his most recent arrest coincides with a series of interviews he gave on Arab satellite television stations calling on Colonel Gadhafi to hold regular elections and allow basic political rights. Mr. el-Jahmi’s wife and children were later released.The fact that Mr. el-Jahmi is suffering in jail presents a major test for President Bush, who has touted his deal with Libya as a top foreign policy success, but has also made freedom in the region a centerpiece of his agenda.Between December 2003 and September 2004, Colonel Gadhafi dismantled his chemical and nuclear weapons programs to the satisfaction of American and British nonproliferation experts. Intelligence culled from the deal worked out in 2003 helped unravel the nuclear black market run by Pakistani scientist A.Q. Khan and provided American intelligence with a deeper understanding of the Iranian and North Korean programs.Nonetheless, Colonel Gadhafi’s record on terrorism and human rights is still a serious concern. New evidence was brought to light last year potentially linking Libya to a plot to assassinate Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Abdullah. And on the issue of human rights, Libya remains one of the few countries in the region unaffected by the recent wave of elections.The report from Physicians for Human Rights, which will be released today, states, “Fathi el-Jahmi is suffering from a number of serious conditions requiring long-term care, and that he needs major improvements in the quality of his care.” The assessment was conducted on February 19 and 20 after intense lobbying from America and other European countries for access. The report says that Mr. el-Jahmi lives in virtual isolation with the outside world and is only allowed to occasionally receive visits from his sons and wife, but not his daughter.“He spends every hour of every day under constant surveillance from Libyan security guards. They do not permit him to receive mail or to read books or newspapers. Such conditions do not constitute torture, but do reinforce allegations of ill-treatment,” the report reads.The doctor performing the assessment said he was prohibited from taking photographs but was permitted to bring in sketch artists. Despite his poor health, Mr.el-Jahmi was animated and vowed to continue his fight against the regime.A Libyan doctor responded to the report on March 21 by fax, arguing that Mr. el-Jahmi’s treatment was adequate but that the government would consider some of the recommendations made regarding his diabetes. In the fax, Abdula Rahman Elmahdi Elsaheri wrote, “He is receiving reasonable medical service and adequate supply of medications, his medical treatment and his medical problems are going to be revised and further assessment and evaluation of his condition, and further adjustment of his treatment will be carried out pending the result of the investigations and medical assessment.”Asked for comment yesterday, a State Department spokesperson said, “After hearing reports that Mr. el-Jahmi’s health was deteriorating in detention we urged Libya to permit a outside medical observer access to him in order to provide an independent assessment of his condition. While the Libyan decision to permit the Physicians for Human Rights visit was positive, we are deeply disturbed by the report’s findings concerning his condition, which reaffirms our view that he should be released to seek necessary medical care.”A former ambassador to Hungary, Mark Palmer, said in an interview that he did not think America had done enough for the Libyan dissident. Mr. Palmer has advocated for Mr. el-Jahmi and spoke with him on the telephone in the 14 days last March when he was free, and believes that Mr. Bush ought to do the same.“Some of us feel that he needs to set aside 15 minutes a month to phone people like Fathi el-Jahmi and Ayman Nour in Egypt and others who are standing up for freedom. He needs to show solidarity with him,” Mr. Palmer said. “President Reagan met with people like this. Condi Rice should set aside half an hour a month to meet with people or phone people. We could do a lot more about this.”So far the president has pursued engagement with Libya in the hopes of cajoling the Libyan leader to change. The State Department has recently decided to include Libya in the Middle East Partnership Initiative, a grant program aimed at encouraging undemocratic governments in the region to reform. Foggy Bottom also plans to open an American center in Tripoli this year to reach out to the Libyan people.An acting undersecretary of state, William Burns, on March 16 told the House International Relations Committee, “Ultimately, the quality and tenor of our relationship will also reflect the decisions that Libya makes about internal reform. When it comes to the president’s personal commitment to support the growth of democracy and freedom in the broader Middle East, there are no exceptions.”

Imprisoned Libyan Opposition Leader Dangerously Ill

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