Fathi Ali Bashaga: Minister and Torterer? Picture: Wikimedia/Awstishur (CC BY-SA 4.0)
‘My eye was gouged out by the Libyan Interior Minister’
After the terrible ordeal of a ex-detainee Ragab Rahil Abdel-Fadil Al-Magarhy in the Mitiga secret prison in Libya, an appeal was made to the United Nations.
Published: June 3, 2020, 9:15 am
In recent days the international media agenda has been publishing an increasing number of reports connected to the situation in Libya. US officials are especially active in contributing to this topic: they publish reports full of photos and videos of alleged Russian planes, make loud pronouncements about Russian involvement in the Libyan conflict while accusing it of printing fake money to support one of the conflict parties.
But the objectivity and veracity of these statements made by the US representatives should be carefully reviewed and evaluated. Therefore, it is of particular importance to watch for the reaction of the US concerning an appeal to the United Nations made by Ragab Rahil Abdel-Fadil Al-Magarhy.
On the June 1, an Arab media outlet Alsaa 24 published the testimony of Ragab Rahil Abdel-Fadil Al-Magarhy – Libyan citizen who was kept at the Mitiga prison located in Tripoli, on the territory of the Government of the National Accord of Libya (the GNA).
He had been detained there since summer of 2019, and had been suffering from horrendously savage abuse. Physical maltreatment and frequent torture are quite routine in this prison, but certainly the most tragic part of Ragab Rahil Abdel-Fadil Al-Magarhy’s story is that the antagonist who has been persecuting him, is none other than Fathi Ali Bashaga, the GNA Interior Minister.
According to the testimony of Mr. Al-Magarhy, at a certain date of his detention at the Mitiga prison, he and the other prisoners were led to the head of the prison Abd al-Rauf Kara. All the while, Al-Magarhy was handcuffed with his hands behind his back. What happened next, goes beyond all excesses known to humankind.
“Fathi Ali Bashaga came up to me, put me on my knees and fixed my head. At that moment I saw a spoon in his hands, which was brought to my face. In the next moment I felt a sharp pain and then lost consciousness. When I recovered my senses, I felt that my eye had been gouged out. The prisoners who were with me at the moment of that torture confirmed that Fathi Ali Bashaga had cut out my eye with the spoon he had in his hands,” Al-Magarhy said at his testimony, adding that he was not provided with any qualified medical care.
After being released from the Mitiga prison, Mr. Al-Magarhy decided not to appeal for domestic legal protection as he is afraid of the prosecution from the side of the GNA authorities. But the inhumane torment he has had to endure and, even more outrageously, by a personality and a figure of authority who had gouged out his eye, pushed Al-Magarhy to do the best he possibly could in these dire circumstances – to write an official complaint and address it to the UN. He is doing so in the hope that this organization committed to the protection of human rights, will launch a proper investigation into his case and bring to justice all those who were involved in this terrible crime.
It is hard to tell whether the request by Mr. Al-Magarhy will be heard. But the very least one should expect in such a situation, is an official comment from the USA, EU and other countries who openly express support to the GNA and its authorities.
Moreover, the GNA is recognized by the UN so this international organization has a certain responsibility or at least a duty of observation regarding the activities of the GNA government.
Unfortunately, it appears as though UN representatives do not perceive this duty seriously – in September 2019 the UN Human Rights Council refused to even listen to the report on torture of foreign citizens in Libya.
Sadly, US officials go beyond that – they simply do not notice any torture being committed on the territory of the GNA. Such an attitude, given that there are lots of examples of barbarous and cruel treatments in Libyan prisons, is very far from being fair. Also, it hardly follows the principles of humanity and safeguarding protections for victims, which are stated in the UN Charter and widely promoted by the US all over the world.
All rights reserved. You have permission to quote freely from the articles provided that the source (www.freewestmedia.com) is given. Photos may not be used without our consent.
Consider donating to support our work
Help us to produce more articles like this. FreeWestMedia is depending on donations from our readers to keep going. With your help, we expose the mainstream fake news agenda.
Keep your language polite. Readers from many different countries visit and contribute to Free West Media and we must therefore obey the rules in, for example, Germany. Illegal content will be deleted.
If you have been approved to post comments without preview from FWM, you are responsible for violations of any law. This means that FWM may be forced to cooperate with authorities in a possible crime investigation.
If your comments are subject to preview by FWM, please be patient. We continually review comments but depending on the time of day it can take up to several hours before your comment is reviewed.
We reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, contain slander or foul language, or are irrelevant to the discussion.
Africa
South Africa’s infrastructure 30 years after the end of Apartheid
LondonHating South Africa was part of growing up in North London in the 1980s. Pelle Taylor and Patrick Remington from Two Raven Films, recently interviewed South Africans about the decline of the country after Apartheid ended.
Nigerian President: More weapons for Ukraine end up in Africa
LagosSome time ago, FWM reported on arms deliveries to Ukraine, which shortly afterwards were resold on the Internet. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has warned that "weapons used in the war in Ukraine are gradually leaking into the region" and called for strengthened border security.
Namibia sees opportunity to attract German energy refugees
Windhoek"The former German colony, Namibia wants to help Germany in its energy crisis". This is how an article in the online edition of a German newspaper recently began about Namibia's new "Digital Nomad" visa. The six-month visa is ideal for long-term holidaymakers. And for professionals who have their office on their laptop and can work from anywhere.
Uneven global population growth reaches 8 billion
According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), we celebrated the 8 billionth day* on November 15. The planet's population is still increasing dramatically, albeit at a decreasing pace.
French fuel debacle spills over to Senegal
DakarThe recent events at the French embassy in Burkina Faso were yet another demonstration against France on the African continent after France was ousted from Mali. All it took was a rumour to attract the sympathy of the population and demonstrators to head to the French Embassy.
New South African drone to compete with Turkey’s Bayraktar
PretoriaThe South African defense company Milkor unveiled its Milkor 380 reconnaissance and attack unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It is expected to become a competitor to Turkey's Bayraktar and Anka drones.
Bucking the trend: Uganda bans work by LGBT group
KampalaThe Ugandan government has banned the activities of a local non-governmental organization that campaigns for the rights of sexual minorities. According to a senior official, the organization worked illegally in the African country.
South Africa: 82 suspects arrested after a mass rape
KrugersdorpDozens of black men ambushed a film crew at an abandoned mine near Johannesburg on Friday. They raped eight models between the ages of 19 and 35. As they fled, the police shot dead two suspects and 82 other people were arrested.
BRICS expansion on the cards
More and more emerging countries are considering joining the BRICS group, which is seen as the major emerging countries' counterweight to the US-led West and the G7. Especially in times like these, this is also a clear signal to Washington.
One comment
“Moreover, the GNA is recognized by the UN so this international
organization has a certain responsibility or at least a duty of
observation regarding the activities of the GNA government.”
The GNA is supported by the UN because it gives the UN and its policies a presence in Libya. And it also gives access to the UN’s leftist-globalist allies and supporters in the global energy sector. Apart from that, the UN indeed seems to care little about what standards the GNA or its ministers and other personnel adhere to. It survives because it is of use to not just the UN’s agenda, but the agendas of others as well. Here are four cases:
The GNA itself controls less than ten percent of the country’s area, and has been unable to extend its write south or east from the Tripoli region. In the latter, the GNA has allowed the use of its territory by organized criminal groups that move migrants across large parts of Africa to the Tripoli coast, as well as the organized criminal groups that then move them into Italy and Malta via the “migrant express”. The GNA has hosted representatives of NGOs that facilitate this illegal movement into Europe.
Elsewhere, the GNA has allowed the use of its territory by ISIS, al-Qaeda, and other jihadist groups, many of whom also have a hand in moving migrants or putting a “tax” on groups that do so. These jihadists not only use Libya as a refuge, but also as a base and a conduit to funnel personnel and military equipment to jihadists operating in the Sahara and West Africa.
Last, and not least, the GNA is now allied with, and supported by, the Erdogan regime, which has introduced Turkish military assets as well as Syrian jihadist mercenaries to the Tripoli region, to fight the forces of the eastern Libyan government of the Tobruk-based House of Representatives. The latter is backed by Egypt, the Gulf Arab states, and Russia. As a result of Turkish escalation, the Russians have upped their ante with increased air power, increasing the chance of incidents that could rapidly spin out of control.
In addition to the situation on the ground in Tripoli, the GNA government has signed an agreement with Turkey that furthers the latter’s neo-Ottoman designs to control the eastern Mediterranean. The agreement, contrary to international law and treaties, is being used as a pretext for Turkey to encroach on the natural gas assets outside its internationally-recognized territorial waters. This also increases political and military tensions in the region, as it runs directly contrary to the Greek-Cypriot-Israeli effort to export natural gas to Europe.
By submitting a comment you grant Free West Media a perpetual license to reproduce your words and name/web site in attribution. Inappropriate and irrelevant comments will be removed at an admin’s discretion. Your email is used for verification purposes only, it will never be shared.