Libya releases 12 Algerian prisoners

Libyan authorities freed 12 Algerian prisoners on Thursday and deported them to the border centre near El Oued province (east of Algiers).

• Most of the prisoners who served the half of their sentence were prosecuted for having stayed illegally and made informal business in Libya.
• They benefited from a presidential pardon granted by the Libyan leader, Muammar Qaddafi, three months ago.
• The presidential decree stipulates the release of 17 Algerian prisoners in Libya. Yet, five of them are still jailed.
• On the other hand, the fate of 62 Algerian prisoners in Libya is still unknown despite calls from their families’ representatives for their release.
• Libyan authorities insist on Algeria to free 27 Libyan prisoners, most of them are involved in terror-related cases.
• The 62 prisoners’ families have recently contacted PMs, lawyers and associations to gain support of their relatives in Libya.
• They decided to sign a letter addressed to Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika asking him to intervene and end the suffering of the prisoners.