February, 24 2011, 02:44pm EDT
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Sam Husseini, (202) 347-0020; or David Zupan, (541) 484-9167
Libya
WASHINGTON
The following Libyan analysts are available for a limited number of interviews on the situation in Libya, its history and U.S. policy toward that country:
AKRAM RAMADAN, @akrambenramadan
A Libyan activist living in London, Ramadan is on his way to Libya. He is available for a limited number of interviews from 2 ET till 5 ET before he departs London. According to Al Jazeera English, his father -- a nuclear physicist who refused to work for Gaddafi -- was imprisoned for years and tortured by Gaddafi's regime. Ramadan calls on Western governments to state that they will no longer buy oil from Gaddafi's regime. He also likens the Libyan uprising to the Palestinian intifada.
ALI AHMIDA
Chair of the department of political science at the University of New England, Ahmida's books include The Making of Modern Libya and Forgotten Voices: Power and Agency in Colonial and Postcolonial Libya -- largely about the little-known Italian genocide in Libya of 100 years ago. He said today: "Despite the brutal backlash it is too late for the regime; Libyan people are rising and fighting for change."
The new online journal Jadaliyya just posted an audio of an interview with Ahmida.
KHALED MATTAWA, @kmattawa
Mattawa, a Libyan poet, was interviewed on Democracy Now on Monday.
Ahmida and Mattawa were recently on Charlie Rose.
A nationwide consortium, the Institute for Public Accuracy (IPA) represents an unprecedented effort to bring other voices to the mass-media table often dominated by a few major think tanks. IPA works to broaden public discourse in mainstream media, while building communication with alternative media outlets and grassroots activists.
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