[Washington Post] Editorial - U.S.-Libya rapprochement has reached the point where Libyan dictator Moammar Gaddafi is scheduled to appear by live video link before a Washington conference hosted by the Middle East Institute on Monday. Yet Libyan dissident Fathi Eljahmi, who was imprisoned for 17 months and then released in March 2004 thanks to the intercession of Sen. Joseph Biden, was promptly reimprisoned for refusing to keep silent about the lack of freedom and democracy in Libya. Eljahmi is one of scores of Libyan political prisoners - courageous Arab strugglers for democracy. The U.S. is once again being tempted with a trade-off: friendly dealings with an Arab autocracy vs. support for Arab democrats. Americans must keep freedom for Mr. Eljahmi and others like him at the top of the Libya agenda.
2008-03-31 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive