A truly hideous disturbing video, via CNN: A woman named Eman al-Obeidy is dragged away on camera after accusing 15 members of Gadhafi’s militia of sexual assault. The only thing they didn’t do was knock her out or slap tape over her mouth.
Here’s the video:
(This segment is with Don Lemon. I was on several political segments as an independent talking on his newscast earlier this year. Even before I was on his program, I considered him one of the classiest news anchors on any network. And in the segments, when the mike was off, he proved to be as thoughtful and level headed as he always appears on the air.)
The CNN News report online giving details is even more disturbing. Due to the nature of this story, we’ll quote extensively from it:
Breakfast at a Tripoli hotel housing international journalists took a decidedly grim turn Saturday when a desperate Libyan woman burst into the building frantic to let the world know she had been raped and beaten by Moammar Gadhafi’s militia.
Her face was heavily bruised. So were her legs. She displayed blood on her right inner thigh.
She said her name was Eman al-Obeidy. She was well-dressed and appeared to be a well-to-do middle-aged woman. She spoke in English and said she was from the rebel stronghold of Benghazi and had been picked up by Gadhafi’s men at a checkpoint east of Tripoli.
She sobbed and said she was held against her will for two days and raped by 15 men. She showed the journalists how she had been tied at her wrists and ankles. She had visible rope burns.
CNN could not independently verify al-Obeidy’s story but her injuries appeared consistent with what she said.
And how did the government react? In a chilling way that will not win it awards during the next Year of the Woman:
Government officials quickly closed in to stifle her. But she persisted, wanting the journalists, staying at the Rixos Hotel, to see Gadhafi’s brutality firsthand.
International journalists, including CNN’s staff, are not allowed to move freely in the Libyan capital and are escorted out of the hotel only on organized outings by government minders. This was the first time a Libyan opposed to Gadhafi attempted to independently approach the journalists here.
And here is the chilling part:
What followed was a disturbing scene of how Gadhafi’s government operates.
Security forces moved to subdue the woman. Even a member of the hotel’s kitchen staff drew a knife. “Traitor!” he shouted at her in contempt. Another staffer tried to put a dark tablecloth over her head.
One government official, who was there to facilitate access for journalists, pulled a pistol from his belt. Others scuffled with the journalists, manhandling them to the ground in an attempt to wrestle away their equipment. Some journalists were beaten and kicked. CNN’s camera was confiscated and deliberately smashed beyond repair.
Security men said al-Obeidy was “mentally ill” and was being taken to a “hospital.” They dragged her unceremoniously to a waiting white car.She kicked and screamed. She insisted she was being carted off to prison.
The journalists believed al-Obeidy’s life to be in danger and several of them demanded to see her.
A government official said they were investigating, the woman was “safe” and “doing well.” Etc.
The true follow up on this will be a)when she is seen again, b)if she is seen again and kept away from journalists.
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.