Amnesty International Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, May 21, 2009
Amnesty International Distressed by Death of Libyan Government Critic
Fathi el-Jahmi
Contact: AIUSA media office, 202-544-0200 x302, lspann@aiusa.org
(Washington) -- Amnesty International is greatly distressed by the news of the death of Libyan
government critic Fathi el-Jahmi earlier today in an Amman, Jordan, hospital following his transfer from detention at the Tripoli
Medical Center in Libya.
An advocate of political reform, he was detained in Libya in March 2004 and held without charge
or trial, most recently at the Tripoli Medical Center. Approximately two weeks ago, he was flown to Jordan for medical treatment.
"Fathi el-Jahmi was a towering democracy activist and fearless government critic who never allowed
himself to be silent. He is an inspiration to many and his message of freedom of speech and governance lives on," said Zahir
Janmohamed, Amnesty International USA advocacy director for the Middle East and North Africa.
Amnesty International is still seeking clarification from the Libyan authorities as to the circumstances
in which el-Jahmi, who was an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, became seriously ill and was transferred to Jordan.
However at this time, our most immediate thoughts are with his family to whom we extend our
deepest sympathy.
As an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience, el-Jahmi’s case was championed by
the human rights organization. For approximately three years, Amnesty International held vigils in Boston and New York City
and more than 17,000 supporters took action pushing for el-Jahmi’s release. Activists also urged senior U.S. government
officials including then-Senator Joseph Biden and other members of Congress to raise el-Jahmi’s case with senior Libyan
officials.
Background
Amnesty International considered Fathi el-Jahmi to be a prisoner of conscience,
detained solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression through his TV interviews and contacts with
U.S. diplomats.
Libyan authorities arrested el-Jahmi in 2002 after he called for free speech and political reforms
during a conference in Tripoli. He was convicted and sentenced to five years in prison, but was released in March 2004 following
international pressure. Authorities detained el-Jahmi weeks later, after he repeated his call for democracy during a television
interview.
During 2004, el-Jahmi was held in solitary confinement, denied visits by his family and allowed
only occasional access to a doctor, though he suffered from diabetes, high blood pressure and a heart condition.
In February 2005, a delegation from Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) and the International
Federation of Health and Human Rights Organizations was allowed to visit el-Jahmi and conduct a medical assessment. These
organizations assessed that he had until then been receiving only “sporadic and inadequate medical treatment,”
despite “suffering from several chronic and mutually adverse conditions (diabetes, hypertension, coronary artery disease)
that are independently life threatening and difficult to control.” In January 2008, a number of organizations released
statements expressing their concern about el-Jahmi’s deteriorating health.
Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more
than 2.2 million supporters, activists and volunteers in more than 150 countries campaigning for human rights worldwide. The
organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice,
freedom, truth and dignity are denied.
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For more information, please visit: www.amnestyusa.org
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