Eman al-Obeidy: Alive, Still in Libya

Eman al-Obeidy is in the news again. She's the woman who showed up in a Tripoli hotel with rope burns, heavy bruising, and a claim that the Libyan colonel enforcers had raped her. (March 26, 2011)

She'd been talking with journalists, when "Security forces moved to subdue the woman," as CNN put it. The official line was that she was "mentally ill" and being taken to a "hospital." After the "security forces" broke one of CNN's cameras.

That was March 26, 2011. Today:

"Eman al-Obeidy, the woman who said she was raped by forces loyal to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, is no longer in government custody and has spent time with family in Tripoli, she told CNN...."
(CNN)

Apparently there'll be an interview with her tonight, on Anderson Cooper's AC360 CNN blog.

Perhaps I'm being overly-cynical or pessimistic: but my guess is that, since she and her family were still in Tripoli, Eman al-Obeidy will downplay her previous rape accusation.

Maybe she'll even explain that she tied herself up and fell down a flight of stairs.

Or, maybe not.

Bottom line, I'm glad - and relieved - to learn that she's still alive.

Somewhat-related posts:

• "Libya: Not a Good Week for the Colonel"
  (March 31, 2011)
• "Libya, News, and Change"
  (March 26, 2011)
• "Ivory Coast, Cote d'Ivoire: Bodies in the Street"
  (March 19, 2011)
• "Beer, Basketball, the War on Terror, Today's News, and Me"
  (March 10, 2011)
• "Libya, the Human Rights Paragon: You Can't Make This Up"
  (February 28, 2011)

In the news:

• "Alleged Libyan rape victim no longer in government custody"
  CNN World (April 4, 2011)