Ethiopia reacts over citizen abused by Gaddafi’s family
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
September 2, 2011 (ADDIS ABABA) – The Ethiopian government expressed its deep discontent over at the inhumane treatment of Ethiopian staff by the family of Libya’s president-on-the-run, Muammar Gaddafi.
The news network, CNN on Sunday revealed the abuse while visiting a beach front mansion in western Tripoli formerly owned by the Gaddafi family. They showed the extent of Mullah, injuries, still unhealed three months after the event.
Ethiopia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, Dina Mufti on Thursday said the government first received information about the abuse on Wednesday but that it has contacted her family, saying it will “make every necessary effort” to return Mullah home from Libya and will assist her in getting “due compensation”.
Mullah said she was burned with boiling water multiple times by the former Lebanese model, Aline Skaf, wife of Gaddafi’s fourth son, Hannibal.
“She took me to a bathroom. She tied my hands behind my back, and tied my feet. She taped my mouth, and she started pouring the boiling water on my head […] There were maggots coming out of my head” said Mullah.
Hospital director Rida Franka told CNN that they were intimidated by Hannibal’s staff into stopping treatment.
Shweyga also revealed that she had never received wages from the Gaddafis despite working for them for a year.
A fund-raising campaign for her medication has been launched by Anti-Slavery International, in collaboration with CNN.
In July 2009 Skaf was arrested by Swiss police for assaulting staff at the President Wilson Hotel in Geneva. This incident led to diplomatic ties between Libya and Switzerland becoming strained as the Gaddafi regime sought to cancel contracts and flights to Switzerland.
The report has returned fierce reactions from readers in Ethiopia and calls for both Hannibal and Skaf to be brought to justice and to be extradited from Algeria back to Libya for trial.
(ST)