Amnesty says Swiss held in Libya is suffering

The Swiss section of Amnesty International says the health of businessman Max Göldi, jailed by Libya three weeks ago, has distinctly deteriorated.

Göldi, who had previously been staying at the Swiss embassy, handed himself over to the Libyan authorities after he’d earlier been handed a four-month sentence on visa violations.

His lawyer, Saleh Zahaf, has also spoken of his client’s poor psychological condition, and has called on the Swiss authorities to put more pressure on Tripoli.

Amnesty spokesman Daniel Graf told the Swiss News Agency that Göldi’s health had deteriorated since his imprisonment, with uncertainty about his release a contributing factor.

Another Swiss, Rachid Hamdani, who had been staying at the embassy with Göldi, was cleared by Libya of similar charges against him and has since returned to Switzerland.

Göldi’s request for a pardon has not yet been handled and he is no longer permitted to contact Amnesty.

Switzerland and Libya have been at loggerheads since the middle of 2008 when a son of Libyan leader, Moammar Gaddafi, was arrested with his wife in Geneva on charges of abusing their staff – accusations that were later dropped.

swissinfo.ch and agencies