Mahmoudi handover 'rights issue for oppressed'

The Tunisian minister of human rights and transitional justice, Samir Dilou has said the issue of the handover of the country's former prime minister was a "human rights issue for those Libyans whose own rights were infringed on during his tenure". Mahmoudi was the last prime minister to serve the regime of fallen Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, and is currently being held in Tunisia. Libya has long been trying to facilitate his extradition to try him for alleged crimes he committed while in the Gaddafi government. The Tunisian government has tentatively agreed to do so as long as there are guarantees he will face a fair trial. Commenting on the the Arab National Congress which holds its 23rd session in Tunis, towards the case of al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, Dilou said: "It is the people's right to recover their stolen rights. There is no argument about those who transgressed against our people...we should help people reclaim their rights." "Our national, international, ethical, human rights and legitimate commitments will be the deciding factors. We should not extradite any person who may be subjected to torture or ill-treatment," he added. Tunisia had announced its agreement to hand over Mahmoudi less than a week after Libyan prime minister Abdurrahim el-Keeb visited the country on May 17 and 18. Tunisian president Hamadi Jebali said: "Libya has provided verbal and written guarantees that it will respect the rights and physical safety of the former Libyan prime minister." Mahmoudi has been in Mornaguia prison (in the suburbs of Tunis) since his arrest on September 21, 2011 south of the country on charges of illegal entry. Tunisia received from Libya two formal requests to hand over Mahmoudi to be tried before the Libyan judiciary on charges of financial corruption in the Gaddafi era and incitement to rape Libyan women during the events of the revolution that overthrew the regime.