Arrests After Benghazi Woman's Rape Claim (Including Son Of High-ranking Libyan Police Officer)

[Turborama]

Source: Sky News

10:23pm UK, Sunday March 27, 2011

Tom Rayner, Sky News producer, in Tripoli

The son of a high-ranking Libyan police officer is thought to be among five people arrested after a woman claimed she was raped and tortured by men connected to Colonel Gaddafi's regime.

In a conversation with Sky News, Libya's deputy foreign minister Khalid Kaim said the men were being detained as part of a criminal investigation into the rape allegations made by Iman al-Obeidi.

Ms al-Obeidi was manhandled by waitresses and government minders yesterday morning as she attempted to speak to journalists at the Rixos Hotel in Tripoli.

=snip=

In reference to yesterday's dramatic scenes in the hotel restaurant, Mr Kaim acknowledged that the security staff had "mishandled" the incident, and that no weapons should have been drawn.

Read more: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Iman-al-Obeidi-Rape-and-Torture-Allegations-Arrests-Made-After-Woman-Burst-Into-Tripoli-Hotel/Article/200812415960967?lpos=World_News_Top_Stories_Header_1&lid=ARTICLE_15960967_Iman_al-Obeidi_Rape_and_Tortur

---

The earlier LBN OP: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4788098">Libyan woman (pleas for reporters to help her & is) dragged from press by Gaddafi forces (Pic Heavy)

Various video reports collated in this thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=385x567036

[Turborama]

1. ABC: Iman al-Obeidi offered hush money by Libyan goons

By Middle East correspondent Ben Knight, staff

Updated 28 minutes ago

=snip=

The woman was bundled into a car before she could answer journalists' questions.

Government spokesman Moussa Ibrahim says she was taken to hospital for checks on her mental health.

But now her family has told the ABC they received a 3am phone call from the security forces offering their daughter cash if she would change her story.

The family says Ms Obeidi's sister has also been arrested and is under pressure to get her sister to recant.

Full article: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2011/03/27/3174877.htm?section=world

[Angry Dragon]

2. SOP for some governments

The US did it for their CIA man in Pakistan after he killed 2, one in the back.
Families were paid cash, offered green cards, and houses in US.
Hard to condemn it when your government does it.

[Turborama]

4. Actually, it's easy to condemn it if you think both incidents were wrong and shouldn't be condoned

I'm getting fed up with this weaksauce "we do it, too" refrain.

Two wrongs do not make a right.

Basic elementary school stuff.

[joshcryer]

9. +1, Turbo.

[Angry Dragon]

10. When was the last time the 'government' listened to the people??

I feel our 'government' is two faced. Saying they condemn something and then go and do it themselves.

[Turborama]

12. "Hard to condemn it when your government does it." - No, I find it very easy.

That's my point.

[Angry Dragon]

14. I AGREE with you

just not saying it well

[Turborama]

15. Cool

Let's shake hands and carry on, then.

[Angry Dragon]

16. .........

:hi:

[freshwest]

6. I'm not my government.

[freshwest]

5. Frikking pigs.

[Night Crawler]

3. Almost sounds like Uday and Qusay are back on the loose

What's with these evil little dictators and their "rape rooms"?

Unless it's a Bush like setup to justify the KINETIC MILITARY ACTION, what ever the hell that means.

[freshwest]

7. Has gone on in the Americas, Europe and everywhere. Perks for perps.

[joshcryer]

8. Something about this seems fake.

Could someone answer my well meaning questions?

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. ...

:rofl:

[Turborama]

21. OK

But only if the answers I give are never good enough and you keep coming back with more questions.

May I suggest the best way you can waste my time is by having circular arguments (I call them Möbius strip arguments, FWIW), taking the conversation on various random tangents into "Cul-De-Sacs De Fail" to find that fake "something" ...?

Don't worry about appearing desperate to find that "something", we're used to it now and it's actually fun playing with you. You'll know when we get bored, we'll just leave the occasional "well meaning question" hanging in the air for others to observe how truly benign it is.

:hi:

[juxtaposed]

11. this may be good, She may come out of this alive, Thanks Sky News

She could have been dragged away and never seen again.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

17. According to Moussa Ibrahim she made a living by partying with men

And she was just making a political issue of all this since one of the men who had raped her was the son of a high-ranking person working for the state.

Mr Ibrahim on Sunday implied the woman was forced to earn a living from prostitution. A party with a group of men she had previously known went wrong last week after she was forced to drink alcohol. "We asked her why she was making a political issue of this and unfortunately one of the young men who had raped her was the son of a high-ranking person working for the state," he said yesterday. "It is unfortunate but it seems that she has a young child and is living with her sister after a divorce. It seems that she has to making a living by partying with men."

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8409649/Libya-son-of-high-ranking-official-raped-woman-detained-in-hotel.html

So, there you have it. Moussa Ibrahim wouldn't lie to you. It was all just a silly misunderstanding, that's all. Nothing to see here.

:mad:

[Turborama]

18. I 100% endorse Nic Robertson's response...

[Lone_Star_Dem]

19. I'd like to say the 'she's a woman of questionable morals' defense is shocking

Hell, I wish I were even just slightly surprised. It's SOP to smear the victim's character in a rape case. Why? Because it works. It not only gives outsiders a reason to question the victims story, but it also further demoralizes and intimidates the victim. Not to mention how it has the nifty side effect of suppressing other victims from stepping forward. Which, considering the media presence there at the moment, is the last thing they want.

At least she's alive at the moment. With luck maybe she'll stay that way.

[Turborama]

20. How do we know she's alive? I'm also worried about her sister.

I dread to think why they "arrested" her and the kind of 'enhanced interrogation' she's having to endure.