Rachid Hamdani, one of two Swiss businessman barred from leaving Libya for 19 months, has returned to Switzerland, the Swiss foreign ministry has confirmed.
This content was published on
1 minute
Hamdani was authorised to leave Libya on Monday after being cleared of immigration offences and violating business rules.
The dual Swiss-Tunisian national, travelled to neighbouring Tunisia on Monday evening. The exact time of his return to Switzerland has not been confirmed.
The second Swiss businessman, Max Göldi, left the shelter of the Swiss embassy in Tripoli on Monday, to begin a four-month prison term for immigration violations.
He and Hamdani were picked up in July 2008 after the arrest of one of Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi’s sons in Geneva.
Swiss diplomats visited Göldi on Tuesday and efforts are now concentrated on securing his release.
Hamdani’s family issued a statement on Tuesday evening appealing for privacy. The father of two has two new grandchildren who were born since his detention in Libya.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Hamdani is freed but Libyan saga continues
This content was published on
“He is safe,” his French lawyer, Emmanuel Altit, told the Swiss News Agency on Tuesday morning. Altit disclosed no further information on Hamdani’s whereabouts or his return to Switzerland. Hamdani left the Swiss embassy on Monday afternoon. Fellow businessman Max Göldi left the compound the same afternoon in handcuffs to begin serving a four-month prison…
This content was published on
The Swiss decision, made last autumn, was one of many salvos in a two-year bilateral dispute and sparked Tripoli to bar citizens of Schengen zone nations from entering the country. Marcelo Kohen, a professor of international law at Geneva’s Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies, said that Bern chose the wrong strategy. In late…
This content was published on
The Libyan move has sparked a flurry of diplomatic activity to tackle the crisis, including a meeting of Schengen ministers and talks between the Italian foreign minister and his Libyan counterpart. Franco Frattini, whose country is dependent on Libya to stem the flow of illegal immigrants entering Italian waters, met on Wednesday with Libya’s Mousa…
This content was published on
Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey held talks with her Libyan counterpart Mousa Kousa in Madrid on Thursday, days after Tripoli blocked visas to citizens of the 25-nation Schengen Area. Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos tried to take a positive tone. “There has been progress and overall a will to find a solution, but I…
This content was published on
On September 1, 1969, a small group of military officers led by then 27-year-old army officer Moammar Gaddafi overthrew Libya’s King Idris’ government. The revolutionary officers abolished the monarchy, and proclaimed the new republic. Gaddafi is to this day, referred to as the “Brother Leader and Guide of the Revolution” in government statements and the…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.