Rachid Hamdani, Max Goeldi, Swiss detained in Libya (©2009 DR / Amnesty International)
Tripoli, Libya (GenevaLunch) - The two Swiss men detained in Libya, Rachid Hamdani and Max Goeldi, appear together in a photo for the first time, distributed by Amnesty International’s Swiss office as a way of thanking the public for its support in recent days. Virtual candles have been lit in growing numbers since the start of December at www.bougieenlibye.ch and by today, 10 December and International Human Rights Day, 10,000 candles have been lit for the two men. They have also received more than 4,500 messages of support via Internet. Some 25,000 postcards from the public in Switzerland are also en route to the Swiss embassy in Tripoli, for the men.
The men read messages sent via Twitter several times a day, on a computer at the embassy, where they are staying while they await a second trial. A first trial found the men guilty of tax and visa irregularities. They were detained in July 2008, shortly after the arrest in Geneva of Hannibal Qadaffi, son of the Libyan leader.
“All these messages of support are really helping Rachid and me – they give us the courage to carry on, to remain hopeful,” Goeldi told Amnesty International eariler this week.
Background stories, GenevaLunch
Links to other sites: Amnesty International Switzerland, Virtual candles for Rachid and Max
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Two Swiss men who were whisked away to a secret location, without outside contact, by the Libyan government in October have been turned over to the Swiss embassy in Tripoli, Libya. The men were kidnapped after being lured away on the pretext of needing medical examinations. The two have been waiting for exit visas to leave the country, and they have been at the centre of a tense political standoff between Bern and Tripoli.
Bern, Switzerland/New York, NY, USA (GenevaLunch) – Swiss President Hans-Rudolf Merz and Libyan leader Muammar Qadaffi met in New York on the fringes of the UN General Assembly, to discuss the fate of the two Swiss businessmen who have been detained in Libya since July 2008. Qadaffi, the Swiss foriegn affairs ministry says in a Thursday noon, 24 September press release, is taking up their cause himself: “The Leader of the Revolution assured President Merz that he would commit himself personally to bringing about their release.”
The men were widely understood in Switzerland to be able to return to the country by the end of August 2009, but Libya has to date not released them, claiming administrative delays.
Libya Wednesday 23 September dropped its civil case against Geneva, pending the outcome of a three-person international arbitration tribunal. The tribunal is reviewing charges by Libya related to the arrest of Hannibal Qadaffi and his wife Aline in July 2008, at a hotel in Geneva.
