President Bush, in his second inaugural address, talked about advancing the ideals of freedom as “the calling of our time.” Strange, then, that a brave democratic dissident in Libya, who answered that call — and has spent years in Libyan lock-ups for his pains – has received so little support or attention from the Bush administration. I’m talking about Fathi Eljahmi, Libya’s most famous democratic dissident, now 67 years old, and still behind bars, his voice not heard in public for more than four years.
During those same four years, Moammar Gadhafi, dictator of Libya since 1969, has been riding high as the State Department’s Exhibit A of “diplomatic success” in winning over rogue regimes (since then, a raft of rewards lavished upon Gadhafi have failed to inspire any other rogue regimes to offer up their up themselves — and their WMD programs — as Exhibit B). By now, the message of the State Department seems to be that while freedom is officially America’s calling, when someone actually tries to answer, our diplomats hit the mute button. It would behoove President-Elect Barack Obama and Vice-President-Elect Joe Biden to correct that message very soon, possibly by finding the audacity to invite Fathi Eljahmi to Obama’s January inauguration — for reasons explained in my column this week for Forbes.com, “Free Fathi Eljahmi.”
But even more urgently, Michael Rubin reports on NRO’s The Corner that while Fathi Eljahmi begins his seventh year behind bars in Libya, the Condi Rice State Department is planning a welcome in Washington next week for Gadhafi’s eldest son and chief emissary, Saif Gadhafi. Has Condi briefed the President on this arrangement? Is that really the kind of note on which President Bush wants to end his second presidential term? The term that Bush began with the words: “All who live in tyranny and hopelessness can know: the United States will not ignore your repression, or excuse your oppressors. When you stand for your liberty, we will stand with you. Democratic reformers facing repression, prison, or exile can know: America sees you for who you are: the future leaders of your free country.” For Fathi Eljahmi, time is running out. Will anyone in Washington now redeem that pledge?
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3 Comments
1. Omar Mohammed:Dear Mrs. Claudia Rosett,
Thanks for the follow-up of the case of the Libyan civil right activist Mr. Fathi Eljahmi, we really appreciate your spreading of light on our pain. We – the Libyan people -caught in between a dictator, and a crook. Kaddafi being the dictator, and Gorge Bush being the crook. Kadaffi steals our oil and gives it to Bush, and Bush gives the necessary support to Kadaffi to remain in power and repress the Libyan people even further. Now, as Bush – thank God – is term is over, and thank God the oil crooks are thrown out of power; we hope that the Democrats presented by president elect Obham, and vice president elect Baddin; we hope that the support to repression has come to an end, and it is time that human rights are given more attention than oil by the American administration. But we must say that with this arranged trip for the son of dictator, Seif Al-Islam, to visit the US and possibly meet president elect Obhma; we must say we are troubled by such visit, and we hope that the trade of our oil for our repression would not continue.
Again, thanks for your support and for your spreading of light on our pain.
Kind regards,
Nov 15, 2008 - 11:42 am 2. Omar Mohammed:Omar Mohammed
Dear Mrs. Claudia Rosett,
Thanks for the follow-up of the case of the Libyan civil right activist Mr. Fathi Eljahmi, we really appreciate your spreading of light on our pain. We – the Libyan people -caught in between a dictator, and a crook. Kaddafi being the dictator, and Gorge Bush being the crook. Kadaffi steals our oil and gives it to Bush, and Bush gives the necessary support to Kadaffi to remain in power and repress the Libyan people even further. Now, as Bush – thank God – is term is over, and thank God the oil crooks are thrown out of power; we hope that the Democrats presented by president-elect Obama, and vice president-elect Biden; we hope that the support to repression has come to an end, and it is time that human rights are given more attention than oil by the American administration. But we must say that with this arranged trip for the son of dictator, Seif Al-Islam, to visit the US and possibly meet president-elect Obama; we must say we are troubled by such visit, and we hope that the trade of our oil for our repression would not continue.
Again, thanks for your support and for your spreading of light on our pain.
Kind regards,
Nov 15, 2008 - 11:52 am 3. libyan nation:Omar Mohammed
Dear Mrs. Claudia Rosett,
We are in Libya proud of what you doing .
Nov 16, 2008 - 11:09 amplease keep on pressing untill libyan people get liberated from this dectator .
all the best
Libyan nation