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Libyans grant Göldi one hour of fresh air

Swiss prisoner Max Göldi has been allowed to have fresh air for one hour after being moved into a windowless cell in a Tripoli jail.

The ABB employee is currently serving a four-month sentence for immigration violations but many believe he is a political prisoner caught in a row between Bern and Tripoli.

Last weekend Göldi was moved to a windowless cell and was denied a trip into the open air on Monday. On Tuesday he could leave for one hour while under constant supervision by prison authorities. Daniel Graf, a spokesman for Amnesty International, said the respite had improved Göldi’s mood.

Libyan authorities said they moved him to the windowless room for security reasons. He is located in a wing with 90 hard criminals and has no access to warm water. Swiss authorities are allowed to visit him six days a week.

The spat between Switzerland and Libya stems from the brief 2008 arrest of Hannibal Gaddafi, one of leader Moammar Gaddafi’s sons, on charges he and his wife abused their domestic staff at a hotel in Geneva.

In a separate incident, on Thursday Turkish media reported that Hannibal Gaddafi had run into problems at a nightclub in Istanbul. A photographer waiting for Gaddafi was attacked by one of the Libyan’s bodyguards.

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