أخوتي أخواتي الأعزاء
السلام عليكم،،،
أحيطكم علماً بأنه قد تم اعتقال أبنائي مادغيس ومازيغ من قبل جهاز الأمن الخارجي بتاريخ 14-12-2010 على خلفية اهتمامهما بالثقافة الأمازيغية وتواصلهما مع أكاديميين في التخصص بالإضافة إلى مقالة موقعة باسم أبني مادغيس عن تاريخ اليهود بقبيلتنا آت أمعان “المعانيين” بمنطقة يفرن.
للأسف تم مصادرة جميع كتبهم التاريخية والأمازيغية، والمخطوطات، والأقراص المدمجة للأغاني الأمازيغية، إضافة إلى التحف، وكذلك طبلة “دربوكة” بناتي، التي نقشت عليها الأحرف الليبية القديمة “التيفيناغ”. كما وتم مصادرة ما وقع على أيديهم من أجهزة حاسوب، هواتف نقالة، آلات تصوير رقمية، ومحفظاتهما وما بها من نقود، وكذلك جوازات سفرهما. لقد تعرضا أيضاً أبنائي للحبس ألإنفرادي لأكثر من شهر والإهانة بالسب والشتم والبصق على الوجه بل والضرب والتهديد بالقتل من قبل ضباط حاقدين على الثقافة الأمازيغية قبل إحالتهما إلى سجن الجديده.
لا أتوقع بأن هناك من يتفق مع هذه التصرفات غير المسئولة ونحن نعيش الحياة المعاصرة التي حررت المعلومات من ربق العبودية للأمن ومن التواصل مع الأكاديميين في عالم الانترنت خدمة للعلم والمعرفة.
أننا نعتقد بأن 90% من أصول الليبيين أمازيغية مع أن الجميع يتكلم العربية ولم يحافظ على اللغة الأمازيغية إلا حوالي 15% منهم. كما وأن الديانة اليهودية كانت ديانة أجدادنا، قبل الإسلام، وكان اليهود جزء من نسيج المجتمع الليبي في الماضي.
أرجو من حضرتكم التكرم بقراءة النداء العاجل، على الرابط:
http://ua.amnesty.ch/urgent-actions/2011/02/019-11، لمنظمة العفو الدولية والتي تدعوكم فيه لتوجيه رسائل، بهدف إخلاء سبيل أولادي، إلى الأخ/ أمين “وزير” العدل ، والأخ/ المدير التنفيذي لمؤسسة القذافي العالمية للجمعيات الخيرية والتنمية، وتحويل صور إلى الهيئات الدبلوماسية ذات العلاقة.
أشكركم سلفاً على حسن تعاونكم…
أ.د. فتحي سالم أبوزخار
tawalt.com
URGENT ACTION
libyan prisoner tortured
Two brothers, who may be prisoners of conscience held solely for their interest in Amazigh culture, were arrested on 16 December in Tripoli. One has reported being tortured by the Libyan security forces in detention. Both are at risk of torture in Jdaida Prison where they are held.
Twin brothers Mazigh and Madghis Bouzakhar were arrested on 16 December at their home in Tripoli, allegedly by members of the External Security Agency (ESA), an intelligence body. They were reportedly accused of “spying and collaborating with Israel and Zionism”. Amnesty International believes their arrest was due to their membership of the World Amazigh Congress and other activities perceived to promote Amazigh (Berber) culture. They are currently held in Jdaida Prison following their transfer there on 27 January. Madghis Bouzakhar reported to his father that he had been kept in solitary confinement and had been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment while being interrogated by ESA agents during a period of almost a month. He described being subjected to falaqa, whereby the soles of the feet are beaten, and being beaten with sticks and gun butts. He was interrogated about an article he had written about the Amazigh and Jewish communities in Libya. Mazigh Bouzakhar was reportedly verbally abused during detention. Their father has said he fears for the safety of his sons due to the grave accusations they face.
The lawyer appointed to represent the brothers made a formal inquiry about them to the authorities on 19 January. He was told that they were under the supervision of the Department of Public Prosecution. However, on 23 January, that Department notified the lawyer that the brothers had been referred to the State Security Prosecution on 27 December. This contradicts a statement published by the ESA on its website on 12 January, which stated that they had been held under the supervision of the Public Prosecution since their arrest on suspicion of “working and collaborating with foreign intelligence”. Their father has been able to see them twice at an unknown location in the presence of security agents, and a third time on 31 January in Jdaida Prison, following their transfer. The lawyer appointed to represent them has reportedly not been permitted access to them or their case file.
LIBYAN PRISONER TORTURED
Additional Information
Mazigh and Madghis Bouzakhar were held in the ESA for more than a month, from 16 December to 27 January, in breach of Libyan law. Article 26 of the Code of Criminal Procedures requires law enforcement officers to refer suspects to the Department of Public Prosecutions within 48 hours of arrest except in cases involving detainees suspected of committing offences such as threatening state security, who can be held for up to seven days before being charged or released. Article 26 further stipulates that the Department of Public Prosecution must question an accused within 24 hours and then either issue an order for continued detention or release.
Amnesty International is concerned that the arrests and continuous detention of the two men might be a result of the Libyan authorities’ intolerance to activities perceived as promoting the Amazigh (Berber) cultural or linguistic heritage. As a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, Libya is obliged to guarantee that all people are protected from discrimination on any grounds, including ethnic, linguistic or cultural ones, and have the right to take part in cultural life.
The Libyan authorities claimed in their submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in 2003 that all Libyans are of a “common racial origin, all profess Islam and speak Arabic”. The state report added: “The fact that all Libyan citizens share a common origin, religion and language has undoubtedly been a determining factor in the absence of racial discrimination in the country”. Libyan NGOs based abroad, such as the Libyan Working Group, the Tabu Front for the Salvation of Libya and the World Amazigh Congress, disagree with this assessment and argue that the Libyan Nationality Code is inherently discriminatory in defining citizenship as “Arab”. Such groups also complain that the Amazigh language and culture is not recognized and that obstacles prevent the Amazigh community from preserving their language and culture. For example, Law No. 24 of 1369 prohibits the usage of languages other than Arabic in publications, official documents, public spaces and private enterprises. Additionally, Article 3 of Law No. 24 prohibits the use of “non-Arab, non-Muslim names” as determined by the General People’s Committee (equivalent to the prime minister’s office). The law provides no opportunity for parents to appeal against the decision of the General People’s Committee.
The Libyan authorities also seem to show little tolerance towards Amazigh cultural rights activists, even those based abroad. In November 2009, the Libyan authorities deported Khaled Zerari, deputy head of the Word Amazigh Congress, from Libya upon his arrival from Morocco to attend the funeral of a well known Amazigh figure in Libya. After questioning him for several hours at the airport, Libyan law enforcement officials forced him to board a flight to Rome, from where he returned to Morocco. No official reason for the deportation was provided, but it is believed that he was prevented from entering Libya due to his activism for the rights of the Amazigh people in North Africa.
UA: 19/11 Index: MDE 19/002/2011 Issue Date: 04 February 2011
