Section:GDN 1N PaGe:24 Edition Date:190801 Edition:01 Zone: Sent at 31/7/2019 19:04 cYanmaGentaYellowb
- The Guardian Thursday 1 August 2019
(^24) World
Family fear abducted Libyan
MP may have been tortured
Jason Burke
Africa correspondent
The family of a Libyan MP and cam-
paigner abducted by armed men two
weeks ago fear she may have been sub-
jected to torture and sexual violence.
Seham Sergiwa , who is also a
prominent women’s rights activist,
disappeared from her home in the
eastern city of Benghazi on 17 July and
has not been heard from since. Rela-
tives believe Sergiwa, 56, may have
been silenced by forces loyal to Khal-
ifa Haftar , the military strongman who
controls much of eastern Libya.
Hours before the abduction,
Sergiwa, who has a doctorate in clinical
psychology, told an interviewer on a
pro-Haftar TV channel that Haftar’s
supporters included “extremists”, and
called for the Muslim Brotherhood, the
major Islamist organisation that Haftar
sees as his principal foe , to be included
in a unity government.
Sergiwa has repeatedly criticised
the continuing off ensive by Haftar’s
self-styled Libyan National Army
against Tripoli, the capital and seat of
the fragile UN-recognised Government
of National Accord (GNA).
Her husband was shot in the legs
and badly beaten in the raid and her
14-year-old son was also assaulted.
Both were in hospital for several days.
Sergiwa’s niece Nicole , speaking
from Indiana in the US, said: “We have
had no news since the abduction. We
thought it might just be an arrest, even
though her family was beaten and shot
up. But we are worrying that she is still
alive and being hurt in ways we cannot
imagine ... torture, rape.”
Sergiwa came to prominence as a
campaigner against sexual violence
in Libya after the fall of Muammar
Gad da fi in 2011, and was elected to
the country’s new legislative assembly
in 2014. “She is truly an amazing per-
son who speaks her mind. She would
never compromise her principles. She
does what she thinks is right. She has
been speaking out forcefully against
Haftar,” her niece said.
The family say masked members of
the 106th Brigade, a force commanded
by Haftar’s son , were seen at Sergiwa’s
home when she was taken away. Wit-
nesses also said fi ghters from other
armed groups were present , includ-
ing a militia faction with a reputation
for brutal treatment of civilians. The
words “the army is a red line” were
sprayed on the house, an apparent
warning to other critics of Haftar’s
forces.
Libya has been plunged into a new
crisis by Haftar’s off ensive, which has
led to more than 1,000 civilian deaths
and derailed diplomatic eff orts to rec-
oncile two armed political factions.
After rapid early gains, Haftar’s forces
have stalled as resistance by a coali-
tion of militias fi ghting for the GNA
has hardened.
Jalel Harchaoui of the Clingendael
Institute , a thinktank based in The
Hague, said military setbacks had
undermined Haftar’s authority. A con-
sequence was that any criticism could
provoke a strong reaction.
A spokesman for the Benghazi-
based government’s interior ministry,
Tarek El-Kharraz , said an investigation
was under way to determine Sergiwa’s
whereabouts, but denied any involve-
ment by forces loyal to H aft ar in her
disappearance.
Second patient
dies of Ebola
in DRC border
city of Goma
Vidhi Doshi
A second death linked to the Ebola
virus has been confirmed in the
densely populated city of Goma,
near the Democratic Republic of the
Congo’s porous border with Rwanda.
The fi rst case in Goma contributed
to the World Health Organization’s
decision to declare an international
public health emergency. The city,
which has a population of 2 million,
is an important transport hub with an
international airport.
The outbreak began a year ago today
and has claimed more than 1,800 lives,
making it the second deadliest Ebola
crisis on record.
The second patient began showing
symptoms of the disease on 22 July,
after arriving in Goma from DRC’s
north-eastern Ituri province, accord-
ing to Associated Press reports.
Aruna Abedi , who is in charge of
the Ebola response in North Kivu, the
worst-hit province, said the second
patient had been ill for 11 days before
he sought treatment. “His was really a
hopeless case, because the illness was
already at an advanced stage ,” Abedi
said. The case is not connected to the
earlier one in Goma.
Last week, DRC’s health minister,
Oly Ilunga , resigned in protest a t the
country’s handling of the Ebola out-
break. He said international agencies
were press ing his government to allow
the testing of a new vaccine developed
by the pharmaceutical company John-
son & Johnson after he had banned the
clinical trials , according to Stat News.
Ebola vaccines are difficult to
develop because they have to be tested
during outbreaks. In the epidemic in
west Africa in 2014-16, a vaccine pro-
duced by Merck was tested in Guinea.
The success of that trial meant preven-
tative Merck vaccines could be given to
people in DRC and potentially contain
the outbreak. Ilunga has argued trial-
ling vaccines in Ebola-aff ected regions
could erode trust in the government.
Merck’s vaccine requires only a sin-
gle shot, whereas Johnson & Johnson’s
has to be taken in two doses. Offi cials
and NGOs fear that this discrepancy
could fuel suspicion.
Burger King loses face-off with
union over its ban on beards
Sam Jones
Madrid
Burger King staff in Barcelona will be
allowed to give up their razors after
the Catalan authorities decided the
fast food chain’s prohibition o f beards,
moustaches and stubble violated their
constitutional rights.
The regional government’s labour
inspection committee also found
rules stipulating that male employees
should wear ties and female work-
ers ribbons amounted to sexual
discrimination.
The local branch of the Workers’
Commissions union said it asked
authorities to step in after Burger King
refused to budge on the issue.
The company employs 1,269 people
in 46 restaurants throughout the prov-
ince of Barcelona, all of whom are
subject to the same internal rules.
In the ruling the labour inspec-
tors concluded: “As a result of the
inspection, it has been established that
certain company practices laid out in
the i nternal r ules infringe the consti-
tutional rights of workers, namely, the
right to one’s own image and the right
to equal treatment and against sexual
discrimination as set out, respectively,
in articles 18.1 and 14 of the Spanish
c onstitution.”
They also noted that other “more
moderate measures, which do not
damage fundamental rights” could
be introduced, such as the compul-
sory use of beard nets.
“Burger King’s internal rules – which
are pretty reasonable – oblige work-
ers to come to work in a well dressed,
decent and hygienic state,” said Carles
Català of the Catalan branch of the
Workers’ Commissions. “That’s as it
should be. But they also oblige me to
shave off my beard for food prepara-
tion reasons. I found that very odd,
so we put it in the hands of the labour
inspectors, who have pointed out that
there are already measures available.”
Although the inspectors’ rulings
will apply only to those working in
the Barcelona area, the union hopes
to see national action.
“We want this to be applied to all
Burger King workers , not just those in
Barcelona, where we have union rep-
resentation,” said Català. “For us, it’s
an important fi rst step and we’re very
keen to try to negotiate things with the
company.”
Burger King declined to comment.
▲ Travellers are disinfected at an
Ebola screening station outside Goma
▲ Seham Sergiwa, a women’s activist,
has not been heard from since 17 July
Neigh
problem
A rider
performs
a stunt at
Litang horse
racing festival
in Sichuan
province,
southern
China.
PHOTOGRAPH:
JIANG HONGJING/
XINHUA/ALAMY
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