Tunisia extradited Libya's former prime minister Al-Baghdadi

Tunisia extradited Libya's former prime minister Al-Baghdadi Al-Mahmoudi to his country, despite concerns by Tunisia's president and human rights groups that he could be tortured or unfairly prosecuted there. Libyan Prime Minister Abdurrahim el-Keib held a news conference in Tripoli to announce the return of Al-Mahmoudi, who had served as the last prime minister of deposed Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi. "Today, he was delivered by the Tunisian government, and he's now kept in a prison managed by the Justice Ministry," said el-Keib, adding that Al-Mahmoudi would be tried for alleged crimes against the Libyan people. Al-Mahmoudi, 67, was arrested in September 2011 for illegally crossing the frontier into Tunisia as he tried to flee to Algeria, where Gadhafi's family members had sought refuge. Since then Libya had been clamoring for the repatriation of Al-Mahmoudi to answer for crimes it says he committed during Gadhafi's regime. Bechir Essid, one of Al-Mahmoudi's lawyers, sharply criticized his extradition. "I strongly condemn this decision which harms the dignity of Tunisia, its religion and its moral principles," said Essid, adding that his client's health was declining. In January 2012, 15 Tunisian and international human rights groups had signed a statement opposing Al-Mahmoudi's extradition, saying he risked death or torture if he was returned to Libya. That concern had led to disagreement within Tunisia's government about whether Al-Mahmoudi should be sent home. Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki, a former human rights activist, had opposed the extradition on the ground that Al-Mahmoudi might not get a fair trial. Adnan Mancer, Marzouki's spokesman, said he and his boss had not been told that the extradition would be imminent.