Courtesy of the Gillis family
Clare Gillis’ parents are still waiting for to hear information about their daughter, who was detained by government forces in Libya on April 5 and hasn’t been heard from since.
“There’s not much new news,” said Jane Gillis, reached at her New Haven home on Monday afternoon. “Someone verified that Clare and two other journalists are being held in Tripoli, but that was on April 7th.”
Clare Gillis, a 34-year-old reporter for The Atlantic, USA Today and other news outlets, was taken into custody earlier this month along with two other journalists: reporter James Foley of the Global Post and photographer Manu Brabo of the European Press Agency. (For more details, see this earlier story.)
Libyan government officials told CNN senior international correspondent Nic Robertson on April 7 that the journalists were in government custody and would be released soon, according to government watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW).
The State Department and HRW are working closely with the Turkish embassy in Tripoli to secure Gillis’ release, her mother said. “But it’s just moving incredibly slow,” she admitted. “The situation in Tripoli isn’t helping.”
Libya is in the midst of a civil conflict between government forces and rebels looking to overthrow longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi. The government has cracked down on rebels, reporters and civilians alike.
Peter Bouckaert, emergencies director at Human Rights Watch, first alerted the Gillises of Clare’s situation. He found Clare’s mother’s contact info on her daughter’s Facebook page.
“Libyan and foreign journalists are facing unlawful restrictions from the government, including incommunicado detention in Tripoli,” Bouckaert said in a press release dated April 15. “If the government has nothing to hide, then it should let the media do its work.”
At least 18 journalists are being detained in Libya, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), and there have been more than 80 attacks on members of the media since mid-February.
The Gillises have been open with the media, giving updates to various news outlets as they wait to hear from their daughter.
“We think it’s very helpful,” Jane Gillis said. “It keeps everyone’s eyes and ears open, so we’ve done a few interviews.”
“We’re trying to do what we can to get this information out to people,” she said.
