Les craintes augmentent pour la vie d’Alaa Abdel Fattah, détenu politique en grève de la faim depuis sept mois en Egypte

LE MONDE : Il a été placé « sous traitement médical » selon les autorités, ce qui fait craindre à ses soutiens qu’il soit nourri de force, une pratique contraire au droit international.

Alaa Abdel Fattah lors d’une conférence à l’Université américaine du Caire, le 22 septembre 2014. NARIMAN EL-MOFTY / AP
Sept mois de grève de la faim, et un état de santé alarmant. Le détenu politique égypto-britannique Alaa Abdel Fattah, qui a cessé de s’alimenter au début de l’année dans sa prison près du Caire, est désormais « sous traitement médical », a annoncé jeudi l’autorité pénitentiaire à sa famille. Cela fait craindre que ce militant pro-démocratie soit nourri de force, ce qui est considéré par le droit international comme de la torture et même un crime contre l’humanité.

« Il faut que notre mère puisse le voir, ou un représentant de l’ambassade britannique, pour que nous puissions savoir dans quel état de santé il se trouve vraiment », a lancé sur Twitter sa sœur, Mona Seif. Alaa Abdel Fattah n’a ingéré que 100 calories par jour durant sept mois. » | Le Monde avec AFP | jeudi 10 novembre 2022

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The Guardian View on Egypt’s Abuses: Justice Needed for Alaa Abd el-Fattah – and the Others

THE GUARDIAN – EDITORIAL: The treatment of the British-Egyptian democracy activist is a travesty, and emblematic of the regime’s brutality

Sanaa Seif, the sister of Alaa Abd el-Fattah, at a protest in London last month. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA
Only the Egyptian regime knows the fate of Alaa Abd el-Fattah. It wants to keep it that way. The jailed British-Egyptian writer and democracy activist, a figurehead of the 2011 revolution, began refusing water on Sunday – six months after launching a hunger strike that has seen him consume no more than 100 calories a day. On Monday, his mother waited in vain outside the prison for his weekly letter. As of Tuesday evening, his family was still demanding proof of life, fearing he may die before the end of the Cop27 climate summit in Sharm el-Sheikh, which has finally propelled his case to international attention. They are also concerned that he may be tortured through force-feeding. » | Editorial | Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Related article here.

Alaa Abdel Fattah: British-Egyptian Activist's Life at Acute Risk - UN

The UN said Alaa Abdel Fattah was one of a number of Egyptians "arbitrarily deprived of their liberty". | ANADOLU AGENCY
BBC: The United Nations human rights chief has called on Egypt to immediately release jailed British-Egyptian pro-democracy activist Alaa Abdel Fattah.

Volker Türk said his life was "at acute risk" after he escalated a hunger strike and stopped drinking water.

He began the strike in April to protest against the denial of consular visits.

His sister, Sanaa Seif, said: "All we know is that Alaa stopped drinking water 50 hours ago. We don't know where he is. We don't know if he is alive."

"My mother waited outside the prison gates for 10 hours yesterday for her weekly letter. They didn't give her one. She is back at those gates right now," she told a news conference at the COP27 climate conference in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.

"I asked the British authorities to get us some proof that Alaa is alive and conscious. I did not get any response." » | David Gritten, BBC News | Tuesday, November 8, 2022

Asma al-Assad – The Beautiful Face of the Syrian Dictatorship | DW Documentary

Asma al-Assad, the First Lady of Syria and wife of president Bashar al-Assad, was initially a beacon of hope. Today, she is regarded as the dictator’s accomplice.

She grew up in London, went to elite schools and had a promising career. The former ambassador of the European Union to Syria, Frank Hesske, still gets a sparkle in his eyes when he talks about Asma al-Assad. She was ‘a darling’, and comparable to Princess Diana - and not just because of her British roots: ‘We diplomats,’ the former ambassador now reveals with surprising honesty, ‘let ourselves be seduced’. Many of the diplomats, politicians and journalists from the West who met the presidential couple during the 11 years after Assad took power and before the civil war broke out shared that fate: they let themselves be duped. Torture, arrests and threats were unleashed on all those who got in the way of the regime - just as under Assad’s father. There’s the famous opposition activist Riad Seif, whose daughter talks about the regime’s humiliations and the constant fear that her family could be taken by the secret police and her father killed. While the country remains as dark as ever, this film looks at Asma al-Assad’s international role as the face of the dictatorship, the woman from London who for a long time managed to make the Assads socially acceptable.

Historic Rivalry for Regional Dominance at the Root of Saudi-Qatar Crisis

The battle for regional power between Saudi Arabia and Qatar dates back to the very creation of the State of Qatar; back then, just as it is now, it was about regional dominance, explains Professor Seif Da'na

Worlds Apart: Martial Democracy? Radical Islam Has No Future in Egypt – Former General El-Yazal

Egypt has been embroiled in turmoil amid the Arab Spring revolution and the coup that toppled its first democratically-elected president last year. And as the nation gears up for new elections in the shadow of a shattered economy, will it receive the same old result? Can Egypt establish a democracy or will it slide back into chaos? Oksana is joined by the Chairman of the Algomhoria Center for Political and Security Studies, Sameh Seif El-Yazal, to discuss these issues.

La gangrène menace Seif al-Islam s’il n’est pas soigné

TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Le fils de Mouammar Kadhafi, arrêté le 19 novembre et blessé à la main droite, pourrait développer une gangrène si ses blessures ne sont pas soignées, a déclaré lundi le médecin ukrainien qui l’a examiné.

Seif al-Islam Kadhafi, fils de l’ancien dirigeant libyen arrêté le 19 novembre dans le sud du pays, pourrait développer une gangrène si ses blessures ne sont pas soignées, a déclaré lundi le médecin ukrainien qui l’a examiné.

"Ses blessures sont graves mais quand je les ai vues, elles n’étaient pas gangrenées. Elles peuvent le devenir si elles ne sont pas soignées", a déclaré le Dr Andreï Mourakhovsky, qui a fait un pansement à la main droite du prisonnier au lendemain de son arrestation.

Une semaine après cette première visite, le Dr Mourakhovsky a exprimé son inquiétude: "J’avais été appelé par le conseil militaire. J’ai nettoyé la blessure et j’ai fait un pansement. Maintenant, il faut refaire un nouveau pansement. Le chef du conseil militaire a dit qu’il allait m’appeler mais ils ne l’ont toujours pas fait". » | AFP | lundi 28 novembre 2011

Libya Trial Pledge Over Gaddafi Son

THE INDEPENDENT: David Cameron revealed tonight that he has received assurances from Libyan leaders that captured fugitive Seif al-Islam will be tried in line with international standards.

Britain will offer "every assistance" to Libya's government to ensure Muammar Gaddafi's son is brought to justice over his role in the "barbaric" reign of terror, the Prime Minister added.

Al-Islam was seized in southern Libya with two aides, who were trying to smuggle him out to neighbouring Niger, officials confirmed today.

Mr Cameron said: "The Libyan government's announcement of Seif al-Islam's arrest shows we are near the end of the final chapter of the Gaddafi regime.

"It is a great achievement for the Libyan people and must now become a victory for international justice too.

"He could have contributed to a more open and decent future for his country, but instead chose to lead a bloody and barbaric campaign against his own people. The fate of the Gaddafis should act as a warning to brutal dictators everywhere.

"Britain will offer every assistance to the Libyan government and the International Criminal Court to bring him to face full accountability and justice for what he has done. » | AP | Saturday, November 19, 2011
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Saif al-Islam Gaddafi: From Heir Apparent to Prisoner of Libya's New Rulers

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who has just been captured by Libya's new government, had long been seen as the likeliest successor to his father.

Now the 39-year-old, who occupied no formal political office but wielded vast influence, is a prisoner of his country's new rulers - arrested in the southern desert by forces of the National Transitional Council.

He had been on the run and in hiding for almost a month since the last towns held by troops still loyal to his father fell in mid-October.

For years he had been seen as a western-leaning and reformist figure inside the Gaddafi regime, and was courted by western politicians and businessmen who had high hopes for the future.

But once the rebellion in Libya got under way he became increasingly vocal in support of the regime's violent crackdown.

"Libya is at a crossroads. If we do not agree today on reforms, we will not be mourning 84 people, but thousands of deaths, and rivers of blood will run through Libya," he said in February, soon after the uprising began. » | Telegraph reporter |Saturday, November 19, 2011

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WIRTSCHAFTSWOCHE: Gaddafis prominentester Sohn gefasst: Der Sohn des früheren libyschen Machthabers Muammar Gaddafi, Saif al-Islam, ist offiziellen Angaben zufolge im Süden des Landes gefasst und festgenommen worden. Er galt einst als Reformer und Hoffnung des Westens. » | rtr/dpa | Quelle: Handelsblatt Online | Samstag 19. November 2011

LE MONDE: Saïf Al-Islam Kadhafi a été arrêté dans le sud de la Libye : Saïf Al-Islam Kadhafi, capturé samedi dans le sud de la Libye, sera jugé équitablement en Libye pour des crimes graves passibles de la peine de mort, a déclaré le ministre libyen de la justice Mohammed al Alagy. Seif Al-Islam était le dernier fils encore en cavale de l'ancien dirigeant Mouammar Kadhafi, tué le 20 octobre. » | LEMONDE.FR avec AFP et Reuters | samedi 19 novembre 2011

Seif Al-Islam Reported Willing to Surrender to War Crimes Court
THE TRIPOLI POST: A senior National Transitional Council military official, has said that the second son of the former Libyan leader Muammar Al Qathafi, 39-year-old Seif al-Islam, wants to turn himself in to the Hague war crimes court.

It seems that Seif, his father's heir apparent, who is reportedly travelling with his relative, former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi, is fearing for his life after the capture of his father and his brother Muatassim that led to their death. Instead, fearing he might not be able to find a safe haven across an African border, sees a jail cell in a Dutch jail as his best option.

Both Libyans are indicted by the International Criminal Court, ICC, for crimes against humanity after their crackdown on the popular revolt the began mid-February. The NTC official, Abdel Majid Mlegta, is reported telling Reuters:“They are proposing a way to hand themselves over to The Hague,” [sic] » | Thursday, October 27, 2011

Libya: Col Gaddafi Buried at Dawn

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Col Muammar Gaddafi was buried at an unknown location at dawn on Tuesday, according to NTC officials.

Officials said earlier that the ousted Libyan leader would be buried in a secret desert grave, ending a wrangle over his rotting corpse that led many to fear for the country's governability.

Transitional government forces had put the body on show in a cold store in Misurata while they argued over what to do with it, until its decay forced them on Monday to end the display.

His son Mutassim is thought to have been buried in the same ceremony. A few relatives and officials were in attendance, according to a Misurata military council official.

Yesterday, the government bowed to international pressure and announced a commission to determine how Gaddafi died after he was cornered in a drain while trying to flee Sirte, his besieged home town. » | Ben Farmer, Tripoli and Barney Henderson | Tuesday, October 25, 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Prince of Wales 'praised Col Muammar Gaddafi in 2007 letter': The Prince of Wales was used to improve Britain's relationship with Muammar Gaddafi and praised the Libyan leader in a letter to him in 2007, according to reports. ¶ In his letter the Prince complimented Gaddafi for his work with Christians, Aids victims and the British Council. ¶ He wrote: "I just wanted to write to Your Excellency to say how heartened I am by the breadth of these developments." » | Tuesday, October 25, 2011

PARIS MATCH: Exclusif. Le dernier message de Kadhafi à l’Occident: C’est peut-être le dernier courrier adressé par Kadhafi au monde occidental : un appel au secours lancé à son ancien ami Silvio Berlusconi écrit le 5 août dernier. Dans un élan désespéré, le président de la Jamahiriya y rappelle le pacte d’amitié scellé moins de deux ans plus tôt entre l’Italie et la Libye et enjoint le président du Conseil italien à faire cesser les bombardements de l’Otan sur son pays. » | François de Labarre - Parismatch.com | lundi 24 octobre 2011

Comment:

Qadhafi has gone. Cameron was determined that he should go. He got his way. Now Islamism will take over instead. It's already happened in Tunisia, and the introduction of sharia law has already begun in Libya. Seif ul-Islam said that if his father were toppled, it would make way for exactly what the West didn't want: Islamism. And he was right.

This in no way means that either Col. Qadhafi or his son were desirable. They were not. But what has really been achieved in Libya? And what has the Arab Spring bought to north Africa? Soon, Europe will be encircled by Islamism to the south and east. There will be an islamist crescent, stretching from west to north-east. Some achievement! – © Mark

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Arraï TV, dernière tribune de Kadhafi
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Basée à Damas, cette chaîne privée est l’ultime canal de communication de l’ex-dictateur.

Kadhafi a disparu des écrans radars, mais pas du paysage médiatique. Depuis son départ précipité de Tripoli, le 23 août dernier, le colonel continue à défier ses opposants et la communauté internationale sur les ondes d’une télévision syrienne. Inconnue du grand public, Arraï (l’opinion en arabe) focalise l’attention depuis qu’elle diffuse les messages sonores (sept à ce jour) du Guide déchu et de ses proches.

Dernière missive en date? Le 6 octobre. Dans un enregistrement – à peine audible – l’ancien maître de Tripoli a appelé le peuple libyen à descendre dans la rue pour faire entendre sa voix «contre les collaborateurs de l’OTAN». Quant à Aïcha, la fille de l’ancien leader réfugié à Alger, et son grand frère Seif al-Islam, le SDF du clan, ils ne se privent pas d’utiliser cette tribune pour relayer les discours de leur père. » | Yannick Van der Schueren | Samedi 15 Octobre 2011

Seif Al-Islam dirige les opérations à Bani Walid, selon le CNT

LE MONDE: Le fils le plus en vue du colonel Mouammar Kadhafi, Seif Al-Islam, se trouve à Bani Walid, où il dirige les opérations militaires contre les combattants du Conseil national de transition (CNT), a affirmé mardi un commandant du nouveau régime libyen.

Située à 170 km au sud-est de Tripoli, Bani Walid est l'un des derniers bastions fidèles au "Guide" libyen déchu. Malgré près d'un mois de combats, les forces pro-CNT ne parviennent pas à progresser dans cette vaste oasis au relief accidenté, en raison de la résistance acharnée des pro-Kadhafi mais aussi d'un manque de coordination et de moyens du côté des combattants du nouveau régime. » | LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Mardi 04 Octobre 2011

Interpol délivre un mandat d'arrêt contre Kadhafi, Saif Al-Islam et son beau-frère

LE MONDE: Interpol a diffusé, vendredi 9 septembre, une "notice rouge" pour demander à ses cent quatre-vingt-huit pays membres l'arrestation en vue de leur extradition ou de leur traduction devant un tribunal international du colonel Mouammar Kadhafi, de son fils Seif Al-Islam et de son beau-frère Abdallah Al-Senoussi, visés par un mandat d'arrêt international émis par la Cour pénale internationale.

Ce mandat "va restreindre significativement les possibilités pour ces trois hommes de franchir les frontières et sera un outil important pour aider à leur localisation et à leur capture", a estimé dans un communiqué Ronald K. Noble, le secrétaire général de l'organisation policière internationale, basée à Lyon. » | LEMONDE.FR avec AFP | Vendredi 09 Septembre 2011

Syrie: 14 manifestants et cinq policiers tués, un opposant arrêté à Damas
LE POINT: Quatorze manifestants ont été tués et plusieurs autres grièvement blessés vendredi par les forces de sécurité syriennes dans trois villes de Syrie tandis que Riad Seif, l'une des principales figures de l'opposition, a été arrêté à Damas, selon des militants.

Les autorités ont annoncé de leur côté la mort d'un officier de l'armée et de quatre policiers à Homs, une importante cité industrielle à 160 km au nord de la capitale.

"Huit personnes ont été tuées et plusieurs autres ont été grièvement blessées par les tirs de forces de sécurité sur une manifestation à Homs", a déclaré un militant local des droits de l'Homme.

Selon lui, les forces de sécurité ont ouvert le feu sur une manifestation alors que le défilé arrivait à Bab Dreib, dans le centre-ville.

Plus au nord, cinq manifestants ont été tués également par les forces de l'ordre à Hama, selon des militants. » | AFP | Vendredi 06 Mai 2011

Gaddafi’s Son: We Will Deal with Terrorists First and Then Talk Reform
THE WASHINGTON POST: TRIPOLI, Libya — Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, the influential second son of Moammar Gaddafi who was once seen as the great hope for reform in Libya, is clear on two points: He and his government have done nothing wrong, and they are not going to back down.

In an interview that reflected the defiance of the Gaddafi family more than two months into its efforts to put down a rebellion supported by the United States and its allies, the 38-year-old said the world had gone to war with Libya based on nothing more than rumor and propaganda.

In Saif Gaddafi’s telling, he has been betrayed by his “best friend,” who defected to join the rebels. His father’s government is besieged by al-Qaeda. And President Obama has proved no different from his predecessor, George W. Bush.

The comments underscore the uncompromising stance of the Libyan government at a time when the fighting has stale­mated and NATO faces internal squabbling. Although there had been indications this month that Saif Gaddafi was interested in a diplomatic solution to the crisis that has divided his nation, his tone during an hour-long interview suggested that the core decision-makers in Tripoli are in no hurry to find a political way out.

As if to bolster that point, forces loyal to the Gaddafi regime on Sunday heavily shelled the besieged city of Misurata, the only rebel outpost in western Libya. A city council spokesman said 17 people were killed and more than 100 were injured. Government troops also attacked rebel positions in the strategically critical eastern city of Ajdabiya, sending some opposition fighters fleeing back to their de facto capital, Benghazi.

One month after the uprising, the United Nations authorized a no-fly zone over Libya in March to counter the government’s attacks on civilians. Obama has said that international military action saved countless Libyan lives, by preventing Moammar Gaddafi’s men from carrying out a massacre in Benghazi.
But in Saif Gaddafi’s view, Obama has it all wrong.

“We want the Americans tomorrow to send a fact-finding mission to find out what happened in Libya. We want Human Rights Watch to come here and to find out exactly what happened,” he said. “We are not afraid of the International Criminal Court. We are confident and sure that we didn’t commit any crime against our people.” » | Simon Denyer | Sunday, April 17, 2011

Transcript of interview »

LE POINT: Seif el-Islam : "Nous n'avons commis aucun crime" : Pour le fils du colonel Kadhafi, les tirs de l'armée contre des opposants au régime ne sont que des allégations. » | Source AFP | Lundi 18 Avril 2011

Saudi Shi'ite Protests Simmer as Bahrain Conflict Rages
REUTERS: Hundreds of young Shi'ite men marched down a commercial street in the Saudi city of Qatif, near the heart of the kingdom's oil industry, pounding their fists in anger over their country's military intervention in Bahrain.

"With our blood and soul we sacrifice for you, Bahrain," they chanted as they walked, according to videos of a recent protest posted on the internet. Some wore scarves to conceal their faces. Others waved Bahraini flags.

"People are boiling," one Shi'ite activist in Qatif told Reuters by phone, asking not to be named for fear of arrest. "People are talking about strikes, demonstration and prayer to help the Bahrainis."

The protests were in response to Saudi Arabia, the world's top oil exporter and most powerful Gulf Arab state, sending troops to Bahrain last week to help quell weeks of protests by majority Shi'ites in the Sunni-led monarchy. Bahrain's opposition called it a declaration of war.

Riyadh, facing Shi'ite protests of its own, fears a sustained revolt in neighboring Bahrain could embolden its own Shi'ite minority, which has long grumbled about sectarian discrimination, charges Riyadh denies.

The military intervention, however, appears to have only deepened Shi'ite resentment in the kingdom, where between 10 and 15 percent of the 18 million Saudi nationals are Shi'ites.

Leading Saudi Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Hassan al-Saffar has called for Gulf leaders to find a political solution.

Saudi Shi'ites, inspired by pro-democracy protests across the Arab world that toppled the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia, have held sporadic protests in a handful of eastern towns over the past three weeks.

"Before the start of revolution in Tunis, people felt rather incapable of making a difference," activist Tawfiq al-Seif said. "They (now) feel they can make a difference." » | Cynthia Johnston | QATIF, Saudi Arabia | Monday, March 21, 2011

Libye : la France va participer aux frappes imminentes
Des Libyens ont brandi leur drapeau national libyen et le drapeau tricolore français après le vote de la résolution onusienne, jeudi soir, dans la ville rebelle de Benghazi. Photo : Le Figaro
LE FIGARO: L'ONU a donné jeudi soir son feu vert à une opération militaire. La Libye n'a «pas peur», a rétorqué vendredi l'un des fils de Mouammar Kadhafi, Seif al-Islam. Paris, Londres et Washington ont commencé à coordonner une stratégie.

Les frappes militaires interviendront «dans quelques heures» et les Français y «participeront», a annoncé vendredi le porte-parole du gouvernement François Baroin. Le Conseil de sécurité de l'ONU a voté jeudi soir en faveur d'un recours à la force contre les troupes du colonel Mouammar Kadhafi, ouvrant la voie à des frappes aériennes en Libye. La résolution 1973 adoptée par le Conseil autorise en effet «toutes les mesures nécessaires» pour protéger les civils et imposer un cessez-le-feu à l'armée libyenne. » | Par Thomas Vampouille | Vendredi 18 Mars 2011

Un fils de Kadhafi menace l'Italie de représailles
LE POINT: Seif al-Islam Kadhafi appelle Berlusconi à ne pas "trahir" un régime dont il est le premier partenaire commercial.

Un des fils du dirigeant libyen s'est dit mécontent de l'attitude de l'Italie, la menaçant de représailles économiques si elle devait "trahir" un régime dont elle est le premier partenaire commercial, dans des entretiens avec des journaux. "Nous sommes très choqués et même très irrités de votre position parce que vous êtes le premier partenaire de la Libye dans le monde", a déclaré Seif al-Islam Kadhafi aux quotidiens Corriere della Sera et Repubblica. "(Silvio) Berlusconi est notre ami. Nous sommes voisins, amis. Nous pouvions nous attendre à cela (une trahison, ndlr) de la France, de la Grande-Bretagne, de la Suède, mais pas de l'Italie", a-t-il dit. >>> Source AFP | Samedi 12 Mars 2011

Disgrâce de Kadhafi: des personnalités occidentales dans l’embarras
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: Nombre de personnalités et institutions occidentales sont plongées dans l’embarras après la mise en lumière de leurs relations privilégiées avec le clan Kadhafi.

Nombre de personnalités et institutions dans le monde occidental sont plongées dans l’embarras après la révélation au grand jour de leurs relations avec le régime de Mouammar Kadhafi, en butte à une révolte populaire dans son pays et à la réprobation internationale.

La prestigieuse London School of Economics (LSE) vient ainsi de payer au prix fort les liens qu’elle entretenait depuis plusieurs années avec la famille du chef de l’Etat libyen, dont le fils, Seif al-Islam, est diplômé de cette université. Rattrapé par le scandale, son directeur a démissionné jeudi soir.

En ligne de mire notamment: une dotation de 1,5 million de livres, dont 300.000 (350.000 euros) ont déjà été versées, faite à cet établissement d’excellence par la fondation dirigée par le cadet des fils Kadhafi.

S’y ajoute une série de contrats, dont une mission menée par le directeur de l’établissement, pour contribuer à la modernisation des institutions financières libyennes. Sans compter des soupçons de plagiat pesant sur la thèse de philosophie soutenue par Seif al-Islam et consacrée au "rôle de la société civile dans la démocratisation des institutions de gouvernance internationale". >>> Rédaction Online | Vendredi 04 Mars 2011