Libyan Fighter Pilots Receive Heroe’s Welcome in Tripoli

How We Won

Sep 20, 2011

Victory! The two Libyan fighter pilots who defied orders from the Gaddafi regime to kill anti-government protesters during the revolution are finally able to return home after seeking protection in Malta.  

The pilots, Colonel Ali Faraj Alrabti and his colleague (still anonymous), escaped to Malta this past February after receiving orders to bomb a civilian village in Eastern Libya with their Mirage F1 Fighter jets.  Feigning cooperation, the pilots took off from the military base but promptly changed their course.  Flying a mere 250 feet off the ground to avoid radar detection, these brave pilots left Libya and flew north to Malta where they have been given refuge ever since.  With the fall of the Gaddafi regime, these pilots have been given a hero’s welcome in Tripoli by the new government, family and well-wishers.  

This joyous return follows a petition signed by over 38,000 on Change.org members which called on Malta's Commissioner for Refugees Mario Guido Friggieri to grant immediate asylum to the Libyan pilots and not deport them back to Libya where they would very likely face execution.  The petition was created by ENOUGH! Gaddafi, a voice of dissent against the Gaddafi regime, based on grassroots leadership to promote the ability of the Libyan people to overcome the limitations imposed upon them by an illegitimate and unjust government.

Thank you to the 38,000+ signers who helped bring these heroes home safely.  


For more information:

The Telegraph: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/8772115/Libyan-fighter-pilots-who-fled-to-Malta-receive-heroes-welcome-in-Tripoli.html

The Times of Malta:
http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20110919/local/Defecting-pilots-get-heroes-welcome.385296

Monsters and Critics:
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/africa/news/article_1663634.php/Libyan-rebels-promise-Malta-distinguished-role

A few weeks ago two Libyan pilots allege that they were ordered to attack civilian protesters by Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. They faced an unimaginable choice: bomb their countrymen or face likely execution if they returned without carrying out the attacks.

They found a third option: They flew their planes dangerously low to avoid radar detection, flew out of Libya and defected to the nearby island nation of Malta. In doing so, they saved the lives of countless civilians they'd never met.

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But now Malta's Commissioner for Refugees Mario Guido Friggieri has refused to say if he will give these pilots asylum. If the pilots are sent back to Libya, they will likely be executed. Also, without hope of asylum many Libyan military personnel may be discouraged from refusing orders to kill civilians.

ENOUGH! is a new voice of dissent against the Gaddafi regime, based on grassroots leadership to promote the ability of the Libyan people to overcome the limitations imposed upon them by an illegitimate and unjust government.

We call on the Maltese government to grant asylum to these two pilots, which will save their lives and encourage more pilots and ship captains to refuse to attack civilians.

Please sign the petition now!

Winning this campaign depends on our ability to call on thousands of supporters like you. After signing this petition, please follow us on Facebook - just click 'Like' at the top of the page.

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