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Libya Should Get Credit for Strides in Human Rights, Says Analyst

   A  political  analyst says Libya has recently made significant strides
   in  addressing  human rights violations and described the latest Human
   Rights Watch report as âunfairâ.

   Peter Clottey | Washington, DC 24 January 2010

   A  political  analyst says Libya has recently made significant strides
   in  addressing  human rights violations and described the latest Human
   Rights Watch report as "unfair".

AFP Photo

   Libyan leader Muammar Abu Minyar al-Gaddafiâ

   Sami  Zaptia,  also  a  Libyan  Economist,  said President Muammar Abu
   Minyar  al-Gaddafi's  government  should  be given some credit for its
   efforts at improving human rights concerns.

   "I  think  the  report  is  maybe  unfair. To be fair to Libya, we are
   starting  from  a  very  low  base,  but  when we take everything into
   consideration  (the)  facts  are very clear that Libya has come a long
   way.  Let  me  point  to  one very big example, the Bruce Lee prisoner
   case.  Libya  has  done quite a lot, personally with the leadership of
   Brother  Saif  Gaddafi  to open that file... this is something that in
   the old days would have never happened," he said.

   In  its  latest  report,  Human Rights Watch stated that while limited
   improvements  are  being made, repressive laws continue to stifle free
   expression  and association and abuses by the Internal Security Agency
   remain the norm.

   But Zaptia said the government has made significant strides.

HRW

   Human Rights Watch released its latest world report.

   "Let  me  give  you  another  fantastic and unprecedented example, Mr.
   Dohra. Mr. Dohra, a prominent opposition member regularly on the media
   in the past harassing and haranguing the Libyan authorities, who would
   have  believed  that  today,  Dr. Saif appoints him the head with Arab
   Media Group?" Zaptia asked.

   The   Rights   group's  report  also  called  on  President  Gaddafi's
   government to "immediately release unjustly detained prisoners, reveal
   the  fate of disappeared prisoners, provide justice to the families of
   victims  of  the killings of 1,200 inmates in 1996 in Abu Salim Prison
   and reform laws that criminalize free speech and association."

   Zaptia said many Libyans are expressing their opinions contrary to the
   report.

   "To  be  fair,  in the age of the satellite today and the internet has
   meant  that  any  serious government really, if they don't give people
   the  avenues  to  express  their  ideas,  people  will  circumvent the
   official  avenue.  And  we've  seen  (there  is  a)  group  (that) has
   established  its  own  sets of newspapers, its own television station.
   And  many,  many  citizens go directly to the internet and use that to
   air their views, to debate to discuss," Zaptia said.

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