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Democratic Reform Must Top Agenda for Rice Visit to North Africa

Washington - September 5, 2008 - A landmark visit by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Libya provides a rare diplomatic opening that should be used to promote political and human rights reforms in one of the world's most repressive societies.

Rice, the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Tripoli in more than half a century, is meeting today with Libyan leader Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi. Those talks are expected to focus on oil, shared foreign policy issues and human rights, including a request from Rice that Libya release ailing political prisoner Fathi al-Jami, Libya's most prominent democracy advocate.

"Rice must seize this rare opportunity to press for the release of all political prisoners in Libya and urge that the Qadhafi government lift its long-running ban on political parties," said Jennifer Windsor, Freedom House executive director. "Prisoners in Libya are regularly subjected to torture and abuse that violates both Libyan and international law."

Article 31 of Libya's 1969 Constitutional Proclamation states that the "accused or imprisoned shall not be subjected to mental or physical harm." Libya is also a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the United Nations Convention Against Torture, and the regional African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.

Libya is ranked "Not Free" in the 2008 edition of Freedom in the World, Freedom House's survey of political rights and civil liberties, and "Not Free" in the 2008 version of Freedom of the Press. There is no independent press in Libya, with independent journalists facing a climate of fear that includes harassment, pressure to self-censor and imprisonment. Freedom of assembly is also tightly restricted.

Rice's trip to North Africa also includes stops in Tunisia and Algeria, countries that share its "Not Free" rankings in both surveys. Freedom House urges Rice to press Tunisia's president to end torture of political prisoners and juveniles, lift controls on independent non-governmental organizations and increase press freedom. The Algerian government needs to allow disenfranchised groups to air grievances through greater freedom of expression and public dialogue.

For more information visit:

Freedom in the World 2008: Libya

Freedom of the Press 2008: Libya [ PDF ]

Freedom of the World 2008: Tunisia

Freedom of the Press 2008: Tunisia [ PDF ]

Freedom of the World 2008: Algeria

Freedom of the Press 2008: Algeria [ PDF ]

Freedom House, an independent nongovernmental organization that supports the expansion of freedom in the world, has been monitoring political rights and civil liberties in Libya, Algeria and Tunisia since 1972.

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