(Sky) Three British sisters who were allegedly beaten and may
have been sexually assaulted while transporting aid in Libya have flown
home.
Tests have been carried out to determine the extent of their injuries and the authorities in Libya are awaiting the results.
Early reports said as many as two of the women were raped in front of their father, but the family is said to have denied this.
The father of the women, however, who was travelling with them at the time, has confirmed that his daughters – aged 18-25 – were physically assaulted.
The three women and their father and another British man were on their way to Benghazi airport in the east of the country when they were kidnapped.
They had been travelling as part of an unofficial 10-car convoy on its way to Gaza which had already travelled from Britain through Europe, Algeria and Tunisia before it was turned back at the border of Egypt and Libya.
The family had separated from the convoy and were heading back to Benghazi to fly home on Wednesday when they were stopped at a checkpoint and detained by several men, some said to be in military uniform.
An unconnected Turkish charity, the IHH, intervened and negotiated the release of the father and two of the sisters. Another of the sisters was held overnight.
The family recovered in the Turkish embassy after their ordeal before flying home to Britain on Friday.
Huseyin Oruç, the vice president of IHH, said the family had asked for none of their details to be released.
Libya’s deputy prime minister, Awad al Barassi, told local television he visited two of the women in hospital and said that they were in “very bad shape”.
Mr al Barassi said the women were abducted by a taxi driver and men from an army infantry unit based in Benghazi.
He said that those responsible would be brought to justice and apologised to the women and their families in an interview on Libyan TV.
The Daily Telegraph reported that two of the women were sisters, all were wearing veils and ‘Free Palestine’ T-shirts and the sisters were travelling with their father.
The paper reported Mr al Barassi as saying that the women had been “brutally raped in front of their father,” but the family have denied the sisters were sexually assaulted.
Mr al Barassi was reported as telling Libyan TV: “Sadly [the perpetrators] belong to the army, but they don’t reflect the ethics of the Libyan army.”
Reports vary as to the number of alleged kidnappers involved. Some say four, including a taxi driver, have been arrested. Other reports say two have been arrested and two are still at large.
Britain’s Foreign Office said: “We are aware of an incident in Libya involving a number of British nationals who were part of an aid convoy. We are providing consular assistance.”
The rest of the convoy is still believed to be in Libya.
Since the 2011 uprising that ended with the death of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has been struggling to build a unified army and police force amid increasingly powerful militias. Benghazi has been declared a no-go zone for most foreigners.
libya tv
Tests have been carried out to determine the extent of their injuries and the authorities in Libya are awaiting the results.
Early reports said as many as two of the women were raped in front of their father, but the family is said to have denied this.
The father of the women, however, who was travelling with them at the time, has confirmed that his daughters – aged 18-25 – were physically assaulted.
The three women and their father and another British man were on their way to Benghazi airport in the east of the country when they were kidnapped.
They had been travelling as part of an unofficial 10-car convoy on its way to Gaza which had already travelled from Britain through Europe, Algeria and Tunisia before it was turned back at the border of Egypt and Libya.
The family had separated from the convoy and were heading back to Benghazi to fly home on Wednesday when they were stopped at a checkpoint and detained by several men, some said to be in military uniform.
An unconnected Turkish charity, the IHH, intervened and negotiated the release of the father and two of the sisters. Another of the sisters was held overnight.
The family recovered in the Turkish embassy after their ordeal before flying home to Britain on Friday.
Huseyin Oruç, the vice president of IHH, said the family had asked for none of their details to be released.
Libya’s deputy prime minister, Awad al Barassi, told local television he visited two of the women in hospital and said that they were in “very bad shape”.
Mr al Barassi said the women were abducted by a taxi driver and men from an army infantry unit based in Benghazi.
He said that those responsible would be brought to justice and apologised to the women and their families in an interview on Libyan TV.
The Daily Telegraph reported that two of the women were sisters, all were wearing veils and ‘Free Palestine’ T-shirts and the sisters were travelling with their father.
The paper reported Mr al Barassi as saying that the women had been “brutally raped in front of their father,” but the family have denied the sisters were sexually assaulted.
Mr al Barassi was reported as telling Libyan TV: “Sadly [the perpetrators] belong to the army, but they don’t reflect the ethics of the Libyan army.”
Reports vary as to the number of alleged kidnappers involved. Some say four, including a taxi driver, have been arrested. Other reports say two have been arrested and two are still at large.
Britain’s Foreign Office said: “We are aware of an incident in Libya involving a number of British nationals who were part of an aid convoy. We are providing consular assistance.”
The rest of the convoy is still believed to be in Libya.
Since the 2011 uprising that ended with the death of Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has been struggling to build a unified army and police force amid increasingly powerful militias. Benghazi has been declared a no-go zone for most foreigners.
libya tv
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