Slander charges filed against alleged Libyan rape victim
By the CNN Wire Staff
March 29, 2011 -- Updated 1143 GMT (1943 HKT)
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Woman alleges rape by Gadhafi forces
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
* Counter charges of slander have been filed
* Investigation continues in Eman al-Obeidy case
* Mother claims daughter was still being held
(CNN) -- The men accused of raping Eman al-Obeidy have filed counter charges
against the woman for slander, a Libyan government spokesman said on Tuesday.
The spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, said the investigation is ongoing into the case
of al-Obeidy, who burst into a Tripoli hotel on Saturday and asserted she was
raped by troops loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, a dramatic assertion
seen on TV across the globe.
Her mother said Monday that her daughter is still being held, a claim that
contradicts an earlier statement from the government, which has said that
al-Obeidy was released and is at home with her family.
"Yesterday, late at night at 3 a.m., they called me from Bab al Aziziya,"
Gadhafi's compound in Tripoli, al-Obeidy's mother told Al-Jazeera television
Monday.
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RELATED TOPICS
* Eman al-Obeidy
* Libya
* Tripoli
* Sexual Offenses
* Moammar Gadhafi
"And they told me: Make your daughter Eman change her statement ... and we will
release her immediately and whatever you ask for you will get, whether money,
or a new apartment, or guaranteeing financial security for you and your
children. But just tell Eman to change her statement."
A government spokesman said Sunday that al-Obeidy had been released and was
with her family.
Ibrahim said then that al-Obeidy and her family were asked if they wanted to be
interviewed by "one or two, preferably female, reporters to verify that she's
fine, she's healthy, she's free with her family." He refused to take further
questions on the issue, repeatedly stating that Libyan society is "very
conservative."
A group of lawyers and human rights activists tried to approach al-Obeidy's
sister's house Monday, but were blocked by security forces. The sister's mobile
phone has apparently been turned off, a source with the opposition in Tripoli
told CNN, and no one has seen her since the incident at the hotel.
The family of al-Obeidy said she is a lawyer -- and not a prostitute or
mentally ill as Libyan government officials initially said after the incident.
The government has since changed its story, saying she is sane and pursuing a
criminal case.
Al-Obeidy's father told Al-Jazeera that his daughter "has her full mental
capabilities and she is a graduate of law school and a lawyer and she is
pursuing higher education in Tripoli. And she was kidnapped by Gadhafi's
tyrannical forces."
"I am not ashamed of my daughter," al-Obeidy's mother, who spoke from an
undisclosed location in Libya, told the network. "I am proud of her because she
has broken the barrier. She broke the barrier that no man can break. And those
dogs there with him, Moammar, (are) the criminals!"
She urged the youth of Libya to take action.
Al-Obeidy burst into a Tripoli hotel as international journalists were having
breakfast Saturday morning. Her face was bruised, as were her legs. She showed
reporters blood on her right inner thigh.
Speaking in English, she said she was from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi and
had been held against her will for two days and raped by 15 men.
Though her injuries appeared consistent with what she said, CNN could not
independently verify al-Obeidy's story.
"Look at what Gadhafi's brigades did to me," she said. "My honor was violated
by them." Al-Obeidy displayed what appeared to be visible rope burns on her
wrists and ankles.
Government officials tried to stifle her, but she persisted. Security forces
moved to subdue her, and even a member of the hotel's kitchen staff drew a
knife. "Traitor!" he shouted. Another staffer tried to throw a dark tablecloth
over her head.
One government official, who was there to facilitate access for journalists,
pulled a pistol from his belt. Others scuffled with reporters and wrestled them
to the ground in an attempt to take away their equipment. Some journalists were
beaten and kicked. CNN's camera was confiscated and deliberately smashed beyond
repair.
As security forces subdued the screaming woman and dragged her away, al-Obeidy
warned, "If you don't see me tomorrow, then that's it.
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