Libyan newspaper editor Amara Abdalla al-Khatabi has been detained incommunicado since 19 December 2012. He has been charged with defamation, as his newspaper published a list of judges it said were involved in corruption. Amara Abdalla al-Khatabi, 67-year-old editor-in-chief of the Libyan daily newspaper Al-Umma is detained in Hudba Prison in the capital, Tripoli. He was arrested on 19 December 2012, the month after his newspaper published a list of 84 judges it said were involved in corruption. The newspaper had obtained the list from a source whose identity Amara Abdalla al-Khatabi has kept confidential. On the day of his arrest, Amara Abdalla al-Khatabi had gone to a police station after he was summoned for questioning. He was transferred to the Public Prosecutor's office and then Hudba Prison the same day. His detention was initially extended by eight days for interrogation but was then extended repeatedly, most recently until 11 March. The prosecution claimed they initiated an investigation into the newspaper's license and registration. Neither his family nor his lawyers have been able to visit him in prison. His family are concerned, as he suffers from a number of health problems, including diabetes and hypertension. Amara Abdalla al-Khatabi's lawyer said that he had not been given access to his client's file and had only been told that charges had been levelled against him in two separate cases, one relating to his newspaper's registration and the other relating to charges of libel and offending the judicial institution. If he is convicted, he faces up to five years' imprisonment. Amara Abdalla al-Khatabi's family are also concerned that he is not aware of the legal proceedings. His family say he has not appeared in court for either of the cases against him despite several sessions having already taken place. Most recently, a hearing date was set on 18 February at the Criminal Court in Tripoli but the prosecution apparently failed to inform the Hudba prison authorities and Amara Abdalla al-Khatabi did not attend the hearing; it was therefore postponed until 11 March. BN
