Tunisia Live (Tunis)
Ahmed Medien
26 November 2011
The Court of Appeals of Tunis rejected yesterday, Saturday 25 November, former Libyan Prime Minister Baghdadi Mahmoudi’s last appeal against extradition to Libya.
Charged with incitement to rape against female dwellers of Zouara, in Libya, during the days of Libya’s civil war, and known as Muammar Gaddafi’s former right-hand man, Baghdadi did not show up at his own trial, fearing “assassination,” as he received death threats from Libyan parts.
While treaties between Tunisia and Libya allow the extradition of political criminals between the two countries, the defense committee still hopes that high Tunisian authorities, i.e. Tunisia’s future president, will not sign the pledge.
Mabrouk Korchid, Mahmoudi’s lawyer, and head of his defense committee, says that “Mahmoudi’s stay in prison is illegal and worthless.”
Many human rights NGOs, such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the Tunisian Human Rights League, tried to intervene to prevent Baghdadi Mahmoudi’s extradition back to Libya. Mahmoudi’s defense committee even called the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to grant him the status of political refugee.
Mabrouk Korchid says that “Libya is not the convenient place for a fair trial right now, he (Mahmoudi) can be subject to great physical harm and torture.”
Ennahda, the big winner of Tunisia’s October elections for the Constituent Assembly, in charge of foreign affairs within the new government, has a different stand in regards to Mahmoudi’s extradition.
Indeed, Zoubair Chhoudi, member of Ennahda’s executive bureau, said that the party respects the court’s decision and is not willing to interfere in favor of Mahmoudi. He says “This decision is positive and Ennahda will not take part to change it.”
Similarly, the CPR (Congress for the Republic), another major winning party, approves of the Court’s decision. Larbi Abid, the party’s secretary general, and newly-elected second deputy at the national constituent assembly, said that his party “fully respects the independence of the judiciary.”
Baghdadi Mahmoudi’s fate is now pending on the next Tunisian president, Moncef Marzouki, leader of the CPR party, and former head of Tunisia’s best-known human rights organization, the Tunisian League for Human Rights (LTDH).
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