14 DAY TRIAL // Khalid Elhasumi, Microsoft’s country manager in Libya has been detained by local authorities since the evening of Saturday, March 19th, the Redmond company informed.
Libya is just one of the countries impacted by the growing unrest among Arab nations which has already seen decades-long regimes fall and dictators overthrown.
Popular movements in Libya started in February 2011 and quickly exploded into a nation-wide revolt which degenerated into civil war.
News organizations around the world have been reporting about the evolution of events in Libya, with NATO intervening in order to prevent President Muammar Gaddafi from using the country’s military forces at his disposal to massacre civilians.
Among the plethora of abuses in Libya, Microsoft reveals that Elhasumi has been held in custody by the authorities in Tripoli approximately for four weeks now.
“Over the last two weeks Microsoft has been working with Khalid’s family and international organizations to help get Khalid released. We continue our efforts to ensure his safety and soonest possible release,” the company stated.
The software giant underlines that Libyan authorities provided no reason for Elhasumi’s detention.
“We are hopeful that the authorities will release Khalid soon”, said Ali Faramawy, Vice President Microsoft Middle East and Africa.
“We are in close touch with his family and are actively working to provide support and ensure his safety.”
Gaddafi continues to cling to power although it’s obvious that Libya will share the same fate as Egypt and Tunisia before it.
Colonel Muammar al-Gaddafi came to power in 1969 after he led a coup d'état against King Idris, and has ruled over the country ever since.
With civil war raging on, Gaddafi remains at the head of the Tripoli-based government while Mustafa Abdul Jalil is leading the rebels and the country’s Transitional National Council, based in Benghazi.