Alleged Rape Survivor Iman al-Obeidi Moves From Libya To The U.S.

by Alex Alvarez | 5:45 pm, July 29th, 2011

» 6 comments

You might recall the story of Iman al-Obeidi, the woman who put a name and face to the plight of many women living in revolution-rocked Libya after she burst, wounded and disheveled, into a hotel housing several foreign journalists and informed those present that she had been gang-raped and badly beaten.

Journalists had attempted to shield her from hotel workers and “Libyan security forces,” but she was eventually taken from the hotel. Although officials in Tripoli released statements to the contrary, al-Obeidi’s mother let news outlets know her daughter was being held in former leader Muammar Qaddafi’s Bab Al-Aziziya compound. Al-Obeidi’s story brought global attention to sexual violence against Libya women and, at the time she was missing, a physician in Ajdabiya reported that Viagra and condoms had been found on pro-Qaddafi forces, thus supporting his fear that soldiers were “systematically using rape as an instrument of war.”

Once freed, al-Obeidi shared the harrowing details of her story with NPR’s Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, telling her that she’s been raped, beaten and humiliated by multiple men over an extended period of time.

Now, al-Obeidi is ready to carve out a new future in the United States. Wednesday night, following 54 days spent at a U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees facility in Romania, Obeidi flew to New York, then took another flight to the city in which she will live. In May, she escaped Libya and arrived in Tunisia with the help of “a defecting military officer and Libyan rebels,” later seeking temporary sanctuary in Qatar before being deported in June.

She told CNN that she is “excited and happy” to be in the U.S., giving special thanks to the U.S. government and to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in particular.

Welcome home, Iman!

h/t CNN.com

Eman al-Obeidy, Hillary Clinton, Iman Al-Obeidi, Libya, Rape, U.S.

Anonymous

Women who have been victims of gang bangers eventually fall into two categories:

1: Man haters who often turn to Lesbianism or Prostitution.

2: Hotties who want to repeat the experience and will not party with only one guy.

Both are considered victims and are granted refugee status.
caconservative

Although I commiserate with her plight, I still don’t understand we she gets asylum in the U.S.? If she was in Romania, why didn’t they give her asylum? Why didn’t a host of European countries offer her asylum?
The answer is not hard to find!
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GWUMDXSUYVXFOVKEDR7OG3SD7A John Doe

“Never let a crisis go to waste”. There are 50 countries in Europe that could have granted her full asylum, but NO it had to be only the United States??? Besides if the US government actually took her in based on concern for rape victims and those oppressed/brutalized by their governments, what about the millions(non-muslims) in East,Central and West African countries who face such cruelty even at this very moment?

This US government will never come to the plight of those who are actually suffering WORSE than this lady in the hands of their government, the SITUATION IN OTHER AFRICAN COUNTRIES ARE WELL DOCUMENTED AND THE U.S. GOVERNMENT IS FULLY AWARE OF PRECISELY WHAT’S GOING ON OVER THERE.

The government’s only concern is how they can spin this for political purposes and not let the crisis go to waste. The propaganda bull-crap (a physician in Ajdabiya reported that Viagra and condoms had been found on pro-Qaddafi forces, thus supporting his fear that soldiers were “systematically using rape as an instrument of war.”) seem to be playing well so far.
Anonymous

I’d wear a helmet because you are in for a shitt storm… Ouch!
john.kliber

Let me know when the Third World is emptied out so I can go live there and make a nice place to live without having a percentage of my productivity going to everyone on the team who’s not Kobe Bryant but are brainwashed by the Left into thinking so. Imagine if everyone, especially white guys, on an NBA team who didn’t score 30 a game blamed it on Kobe and he had to pay over and affirmative action gave equal playing time to everyone. Sports: one of the last holdovers of pragmatism and reality.
guest

Why not just be happy for her that she survived her ordeal and will have a good life here. Why all the hate filled comments?