Libyan Fighter Pilots Receive Heroes’ Welcome in Tripoli

by Sarah Ryan · 2011-09-21 08:02:00 UTC
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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

Photo Credit: David Rose, Telegraph

RELATED PETITION

Malta: Save Libyan Civilians and Grant Asylum to Libyan Pilots
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