LIBYA RELEASES POLITICAL AND ISLAMIST PRISONERS BUT STILL

C O N F I D E N T I A L TRIPOLI 000227

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR NEA/MAG, DRL/NESCA AND DRL/IRF

E.O. 12958: DECL: 3/16/2019
TAGS: PHUM PREL PTER KIRF LY
SUBJECT: LIBYA RELEASES POLITICAL AND ISLAMIST PRISONERS BUT STILL
BRISTLES AT HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT

REF: A. 08 TRIPOLI 472

B. 08 TRIPOLI 943

C. 08 TRIPOLI 320

CLASSIFIED BY: Gene Cretz, Ambassador.
REASON: 1.4 (b),(d)

1. (C) The head of the Human Rights Society of Libya (HRSL),
Muhammed Tarnesh, confirmed to the UK Embassy on March 13 that
Jamal al-Haji and Faraj Humaid have been released from detention
and are with their families. He did not provide information on
the terms of their release or whether legal proceedings had
concluded. Al-Haji and Humaid were the last of eleven political
detainees sentenced to prison last June for attempting to foment
rebellion against the "people's authority system" and conducting
unauthorized communications with an official of a foreign
government (ref A). Al-Haji, Humaid, and twelve others -
including self-described regime critic Idriss Boufayed - were
arrested in February 2007 in conjunction with a planned
political protest and an attendant meeting with poloff to
discuss it. Most of the group were released last December (ref
B),but al-Haji and Humaid were reportedly held on unnamed
charges predating their 2007 arrest. Tarnesh said speculation
that the final detainee - Abdulrahman al-Qutawi - had been
released is premature. Al-Qutawi, who has not been seen since
his February 2007 arrest and who did not undergo a public trial
reportedly, remains in detention at a state security prison in
or around Tripoli.


2. (C) At nearly the same time the GOL reportedly released the
two Boufayed prisoners, the Qadhafi Development Foundation (QDF)
announced that it had secured the release of 26 members of the
Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG). The QDF had previously
brokered the release of some 90 individuals the Foundation
identfied as LIFG detainees (ref C). Under the terms of their
release, the detainees undergo rehabilitative training and are
provided financial support from the QDF. They are required to
pledge that they will refrain from illegal activities upon
release. Tarnesh confirmed the group had been released and
claimed a central role in the negotiations (Note: While the HRSL
operates under the QDF umbrella, the negotiations have been
managed under the auspices of the QDF's Human Rights Committee
chaired by Saleh Abdulsalam Saleh with Ali al-Salabi as lead
negotiator/theologian focusing on educating detainees in
moderate Islam and reintegrating the detainees into Libyan
society. End note.)


3. (C) Tarnesh told the UK embassy that he had no information on
the allegations made by the U.S.-based organization,
International Christian Concern, that four Arab converts to
Christianity had been detained at Tripoli International Airport
en route to Malta for a conference. He said he found the claims
unlikely.


4. (C) Comment: In the past, Tarnesh has been a useful contact
of the Embassy. In December, however, he cut off contact with
us in protest of Israel's military strikes in Gaza. He told the
UK Embassy that he is now boycotting the US Embassy in protest
of what he characterized as the USG's "inaccurate" Human Rights
Report. His complaint about the Human Rights Report echoes that
of the GOL. We will continue to make the point to the QDF and
the GOL that the best way to address their concerns is through
dialogue with the Embassy. End comment.

CRETZ