TUNIS, Tunisia, June 3 (UPI) -- Human Rights Watch chastised the Qatari government for forcibly returning a woman to Libya who claimed she was gang raped by forces loyal to Moammar Gadhafi.
Eman al-Obeidy was dragged from a Tripoli hotel in March by Libyan security forces after telling Western journalists she was gang raped by Gadhafi's forces. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees recognized her risk status when she fled to Qatar in May.
However, she was forcibly returned to rebel-held territory in Libya by the Qatari government Thursday.
"Forcibly returning a refugee who survived gang rape not only violates international law, but is cruel and could trigger further trauma," said Bill Frelick, refugee program director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement.
Mark Toner, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, said Washington was "very concerned" about Obeidy's safety. He said there were plans to offer her protection and possibly get her out of Libya.
Human Rights Watch said it received word from the rebel-backed Transitional National Council in Libya that Obeidy was free to travel wherever she wanted.
