U.S. demands unconditional release of Libya dissident

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States on Monday urged Libya to release without conditions an ailing political dissident now recovering in a Tripoli hospital.

Fathi al-Jahmi, a former provincial governor who has been in detention for four years, was transferred earlier this month to a medical center where he is being treated for diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

A senior State Department official, Jeffrey Feltman, said Washington, which is seeking closer ties with Tripoli, was encouraged by Jahmi's move to the medical center but he hoped the matter could soon be resolved "for good."

"As we have said many times, we believe that Mr. Jahmi should be freed unconditionally, should be allowed to travel freely and seek medical care wherever he chooses," Feltman told a conference on Libya held in Washington.

Feltman, who called for the release of all political prisoners in Libya, said human rights were an important part of the dialogue between the two countries, which restored diplomatic ties after Tripoli gave up its weapons of mass destruction program in 2003.

The State Department said in a statement released later that the Libyan government needed to fulfill its promise and release the prominent activist.

"His release would signal to the international community that Libya is seriously committed to improving its human rights record," said State Department spokesman Tom Casey.

Youssef Sawani, executive director of a foundation run by Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi's family that helped with the transfer to the medical center, said Jahmi had been given full access to his relatives while in the hospital.

He said representatives from Human Rights Watch and other groups had also been invited to see the political dissident.

Jahmi was first arrested in 2002 after he criticized Gaddafi and called for open elections, a free press and the release of political prisoners. A court sentenced him to five years.

RELEASED AND REARRESTED

On March 1, 2004, Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden met Gaddafi and called for Jahmi's release. Nine days later, an appeals court gave Jahmi a suspended sentence of one year and ordered his release on March 12.

However, Jahmi was rearrested later that month after he gave more interviews repeating his criticisms. He was charged with trying to overthrow the government, insulting Gaddafi and contacting foreign authorities.

On Monday Gaddafi had been set to address via videoconference the one-day gathering in Washington organized by the Middle East Institute but his appearance was canceled due to "technical difficulties."

Ties between Libya and the United States have soured in recent months, partly due to some prominent terrorism compensation cases that have been lingering for years as well as new U.S. legislation that Tripoli sees as punitive.

Last week, senior Libyan and U.S. officials met in London for two days of talks to discuss how to settle the compensation cases involving the families of Americans killed in attacks blamed on Libya in the 1980s.

Those include the 1988 bombing of a Pan Am flight over Lockerbie, Scotland, and the 1986 bombing of a German disco. Americans died in both cases.

Libya presented an offer to the Americans which a senior State Department official called a "comprehensive agreement" that could speed up pending lawsuits.

Feltman said the State Department was still studying the offer and declined to provide any details except to say: "I think both of our countries recognize the need to settle the past claims."

Attempts to settle the cases also come as the Bush administration is seeking to get Congress to exempt Libya from a new law allowing terrorism victims to seize U.S.-based assets of state sponsors of such attacks.

(Additional reporting by Doug Palmer, editing by Chris Wilson and Eric Beech)