Protests in Benghazi over Libyan woman's rape and detention in Tripoli

[Turborama]

Source: The Guardian

Victim claims Gaddafi's militia humiliated and filmed her ordeal

Mark Tran | Sunday 27 March 2011 21.10 BST

Residents of the Libyan rebel stronghold of Benghazi took to the streets to highlight the plight of Iman al-Obeidi, a woman who was detained by security guards at a hotel in Tripoli at the weekend after she told foreign journalists she had been raped by government militia.

The protesters, most of them women, paraded through Benghazi with huge posters of Obeidi. Two Facebook groups have been set up gathering thousands of supporters to her cause.

On Saturday a visibly upset Obeidi burst into the Rixos hotel, where foreign journalists have been staying at the invitation of the Libyan government.

Several of those present began filming after she entered the Ocaliptus dining room and lifted up her abaya (dress) to show a slash and bruises on her right leg. "Look what Gaddafi's men have done to me," she screamed. "Look what they did, they violated my honour."

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/27/benghazi-woman-rape-and-detention

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Free Iman Al- Obeidi Facebook Groups:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Free-Iman-Al-Obeidi/204101406285342?sk=wall

http://www.facebook.com/KLNA.EMAN?sk=wall

Twitter hashtags associated with her story: #WhereisEmanAlObeidi and #Emanalobeidi

Sizeable entry on Wikipedia about Obeidi: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iman_al-Obeidi

An OP for anyone who's interested in what the women of Benghazi are doing: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x594751">The Women Fighting, Organizing, Feeding And Healing Libya’s Revolution (Dial-Up Warning - Pic Heavy)

[jefferson_dem]

1. A little while ago, one of DU's finest said she was lying...and made up the rape story...

for attention and sympathy for the rebel cause. What has this place become? Sick.

[TheWraith]

5. Anything to justify bashing US involvement and portray this as evil American imperialism.

Even though it was Europe that primarily pushed the no-fly zone.

[joshcryer]

10. And even though the involvement has not gone beyond what the Libyans have asked for.

[daleo]

2. It has been reported that there has been an arrest of the suspects

I hope that is true.

U.S. and other western soldiers have also been arrested for rape in Iraq and Afghanistan. Wars, civil or otherwise are sadly areas where rape is known to happen on all sides. This is why the Nuremberg trials condemned aggressive war in general - it is the precursor to all sorts of crime.

[Turborama]

4. The suspects are Libyan. Linking this to "U.S.and other western soldiers" raping...

...in Iraq and Afghanistan is obfuscation bordering on diminishing the ordeal this woman has gone through. We do it too, so we're just as bad.

And then linking it to the Nuremberg trials? What the fuck? This rape was committed by Gaddafi's people, plus he started all of this.

You really need to learn about what's been going on in Libya for more than just the past week so you know what you're talking about.

There's an article in this OP that can help with that: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x594751

[daleo]

8. All of my points are valid

Things exist in a context. You are the one that is diminishing suffering caused by rape by implying that only matters in this one case, and only when done by your enemy de jour.

[Turborama]

9. No. You're trying to link this woman's ordeal to the Nuremberg trials to make out it's our fault...

...that she was raped.

Yes, things exist in a context. The context is it was done by citizens of her own country, not some invading army.

You're obscuring the context with "We've done it too when we've invaded Afghanistan and Iraq".

I am not "diminishing suffering caused by rape by implying that only matters in this one case". I'm actually trying to keep this in context.

[WhiteTara]

3. you could see the bruises on her face where

someone had held their hand over her mouth. I am sure the press corp was so unnerved that is probably what saved her life. She looked as though she was in grave peril. I'm glad to see she was released.

[kenny blankenship]

6. She may have been released-the Gaddafy govt says so-but

no one has been able to speak to her or see her, so far.

[Turborama]

12. I won't believe it until she has spoken to reporters again. Also, what about her sister?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=4789481&mesg_id=4789510

[freshwest]

7. Good for them, they need to raise hell!

[riverwalker]

11. Libyan State TV response

"she is not pretty enough for rape" :mad:
The newsreader sounds like a Libyan Michelle Bachmann

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVFeB4QN1xU