11/03/2009
In a move hailed by Human Rights Watch as a positive step towards broader reforms, Libya on Tuesday (March 10th) freed two political prisoners jailed for planning a peaceful demonstration in 2006. "The release of Jamal al-Haji and Faraj Humaid is a particularly welcome step in light of the Libyan authorities' stated initiative of breaking with the past," a statement from the North Africa office of Human Rights Watch said. The organisation noted that Al-Haji, who has Libyan-Danish citizenship, was reportedly placed in solitary confinement four months ago for refusing to end a hunger strike.