Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07TRIPOLI422
2007-05-02 09:16:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Tripoli
Cable title:  

LIBYA ENACTS, THEN RETRACTS, BAN ON WOMEN TRAVELING ABROAD

Tags:  PGOV KSOCI KWMN KISL LY 
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VZCZCXRO2929
PP RUEHBC RUEHDE RUEHKUK RUEHROV
DE RUEHTRO #0422/01 1220916
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 020916Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2195
INFO RUEHEE/ARAB LEAGUE COLLECTIVE
RUEHTRO/AMEMBASSY TRIPOLI 2510
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000422 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG, DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/2/2017
TAGS: PGOV KSOCI KWMN KISL LY
SUBJECT: LIBYA ENACTS, THEN RETRACTS, BAN ON WOMEN TRAVELING ABROAD
WITHOUT MALE ESCORT

TRIPOLI 00000422 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Ethan Goldrich, CDA, Embassy Tripoli, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)



C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 TRIPOLI 000422

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG, DRL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 5/2/2017
TAGS: PGOV KSOCI KWMN KISL LY
SUBJECT: LIBYA ENACTS, THEN RETRACTS, BAN ON WOMEN TRAVELING ABROAD
WITHOUT MALE ESCORT

TRIPOLI 00000422 001.2 OF 002


CLASSIFIED BY: Ethan Goldrich, CDA, Embassy Tripoli, State.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)




1. SUMMARY. (C) In late February 2007, Libyans started talking
about a new law that prohibited women under the age of 40
traveling abroad unless escorted by their husband, father or
brother, although there was conflicting information about the
source of the "law" or the scope of implementation. After a
couple weeks, the government clarified that it was a regulation,
not a law. After another short time, there was an announcement
that the regulation was retracted. As a case study of Libyan
governance, the ban demonstrated the shifting character of power
structures and the way that citizens adapt to ambiguities and
change. It also revealed the level of misinformation and
misunderstanding that prevails in Libya at any time. SUMMARY.


2. (C) In late February, Libyans started talking about a new
law that prohibited women under the age of 40 traveling abroad
unless escorted by their husband, father or brother. Emboffs
starting collecting information from friends and colleagues, but
there was no consistent pattern among interlocutors'
experiences. Some women reported they traveled through airport
immigration with no problems, while other women reported that
they were turned away at airport immigration and told they could
not leave under a "new law." Some people said there was a law,
some people said there was a regulation, and some people said
government officials were acting on their own authority to
impose personal beliefs. March 10, the Jamahiriya News Agency
released information that the Secretariat of the General
People's Committee (GPC) reported in its website that its
decision banning Libyan women under the age of 40 from traveling
abroad unless they are escorted by a close relative was a
regulatory measure. "This measure aims at drafting the
necessary regulations to avoid some negativity accompanied
unnecessary Libyan girls travel who fell victims of criminal
networks abroad," the GPC said. According to the Libyan press,
"the GPC explained that the new procedure wasn't an obstacle to

the travel of Libyan women who, recognized from all over the
world, were leaders in judicial, legal and political
professions." In yet more twisted logic, the Libyan rationale
continued, "it doesn't affect freedom existing in the
legislations." "It is like the control of Libyan officials to
travel abroad or foreign nationals to enter Libya," the GPC
elaborated. It is true that all Libyan officials, male or
female, must have written approval to travel abroad. Embassy
cooperative programming has faced long delays or cancellations
as working level officials wait to get written approval from the
Foreign Minister-equivalent for their participation in bilateral
export control, scientific engagement or other activities.


3. (C) P/E Chief sent out emails to a broad range of women
asking for their experiences and got back only two brief
responses, one from a woman who just returned from an uneventful
trip overseas, and another from a friend who said she had been
asked to show authorization papers from her husband when trying
to depart Libya via Tripoli International Airport. One contact
wouldn't even respond to an email soliciting information on
whether or not the press clip might be accurate. She knew that
all emails were monitored and so showed up unannounced, without
even phoning for an appointment, to try and put the prohibition
in context. She was apologetic in tone, saying, "you must
understand, we can't control these things." She then tried to
rationalize that since Saudi Arabia and other Muslim countries
had these restrictions and even more stringent laws about
women's conduct in place for a long time, therefore the Libyan
law was a natural and appropriate progression. Her response to
the "two wrongs don't make a right" comeback was that she agreed
personally that the law was wrong, but in Libya, no one had the
power to initiate any change. She said she would comply with
the regulation, as she chose to wear hijab, because she believed
that it made her safer and in closer compliance with Islam as
she interpreted the religion.


4. (C) In context of the Jamahiriya or "state of the masses"
governance in Libya, in theory this law could not have been
introduced without the participation of all women through their
basic people's congresses, general people's committees and the
General People's Congress. Most Libyans, when asked about the
unexpected law, admitted that direct democracy did not really
exist in Libya and the law had not been proposed, debated, or
legislated by the General People's Congress. One Libyan said,
"you have to understand, if any woman goes to a basic people's
committee meeting she gets a bad reputation; women are not
supposed to play an active role here." This analysis was from a
highly educated, U.S. passport holder who has lived in America
for a number of years and now works for a western company in
Libya. She said, "women here do the best they can within
constraints, they don't have any choice except to accept what

TRIPOLI 00000422 002.2 OF 002


happens to them," Asked about the potential for civil society
action, engagement in the political process, intercessions to
influential policy makers, or advocacy through husbands, fathers
and brothers, she said, "none of that will happen in Libya, but
if outside countries forced Libya to change the law, women would
be very grateful."


5. (C) Another contact took great pleasure in noting that
Aisha Qadhafi, the "Leader's" daughter, traveled frequently
outside Libya without a male family member when she was still
single. A local lawyer said she heard of a group of Libyan
business women traveling to a conference in Italy that were
denied exit at passport control by Libyan officials. Asked on
what authority they were denied permission to travel, the
officials said they didn't have any specific citations, but they
had "heard" it was no longer permissible for women to travel
alone. As the rumor mill churned, there was endless
speculation about why the regulation was enacted. Some people
claimed that a prominent family's female relative had been
assaulted at a Cairo nightclub, some claimed a group of Libyan
women had engaged in "scandalous" behavior outside Libya that
was embarassing to the regime and therefore more controls were
put in place.


6. (C) As the prohibition continued to be a topic of local
conversation, and the international press started printing
stories, the origin and scope of the law/regulation became even
more vague. Ahmed Fituri, the Secretary of American Affairs at
the General People's Committee for Foreign Liaison and
International Cooperation, when asked about the law said, "don't
worry, this won't last, it will go away." Even senior Libyan
government officials couldn't hold up the fig leaf of direct
democracy, admitting that there was a disconnect somewhere and
it would be fixed. Women who agreed that the "law" was wrong
did not organize any bold actions to seek repeal. Rather than
engaging directly to affect a change to the law, women used
personal connections to avoid implementation. The word went
out that the "law" was repealed, though the process was unclear.


7. (C) Embassy sponsored a reception at the end of March to
celebrate International Women's Day and asked contacts what had
happened to the "regulatory measure." It seems that a small
group of women with legal practices or other professional
positions had gathered in a local hotel conference room to plan
how to lobby with senior Libyan officials through personal
connections. They planned to use the international press to
draw further attention to the disconnect between the Libyan
theory of direct democracy and government practices. That
information, conveyed directly to regime insiders through
personal connections was enough to make the ban "go away," as
Fituri predicted.


8. (C) COMMENT. Governance here truly is a Jamahiriya, or
"state of the masses." It just depends on who among the masses
has the ear of the leader (Qadhafi) or other key officials at
any one time. As a case study, this example of governance
revealed the level of misinformation and misunderstanding that
prevails in Libya at anytime. It also demonstrates the
shifting character of power structures and the way citizens
adapt to ambiguities and change. People rely heavily on
word-of-mouth for information; not even officials implementing
the law or regulation seemed to have an authoritative source.
At first, it was not even clear if the ban was a law or a
regulation. Libyans are used to working the system, and women
managed to find the right pressure points to achieve their
objectives. As a start-up Embassy, our staff are also engaged
in finding the right points of contact to implement our mission
objectives. The level of misinformation and misunderstanding of
issues presents another level of challenge as we pursue our
transformational diplomacy agenda. END COMMENT.
GOLDRICH