Ghanaian being railroaded to death in Libya

I am a sister of Kofi Boateng a/k/a Obolo Boateng and also a Ghanaian. My brother is presently sentenced to death by hanging in Libya. He is currently being held in prison in Tripoli, Libya.

Kofi Boateng is a father of 2 beautiful girls, an only son of a mother- whose pain is unimaginable, a brother and a friend. He is a young man of 32 years of age. He travelled to Libya in 2002 in hopes of making a better life for his family. In June of 2005 he was arrest and jailed and falsely accused of murder. He was detained in Ubary prison in Libya for two (2) years before he was able to notify his family.

Through the help of Ambassador H. E. Mr. A.K. Wadee and Yakubu Alhassan the Head of Chancery of the Ghana Embassy in Libya, I was able to obtain legal counsel for my brother in August 2007. The lawyer, hired through the Ghana embassy in Libya, never once interviewed Kofi! Even with the legal representation, Kofi Boateng was still detained in the Ubrary prison for additional two (2) years without being charged. My brother went to court every month and they simply reschedule for the next month again and again. Finally in April 2009, my brother, after four (4) years of being jailed was charged with the crime of murder- a crime he did not commit. The victim’s son even testified on my brother‘s behalf –saying that by brother was not the person involved in his father’s death. Last week my brother was convicted of murder and condemned to death by hanging.

To say that we are all heartbroken is an understatement of the century. We are saddened, shocked, dismayed, angry, and confused. How does anybody tell Ofriwaa-a splitting image of her father (who still talks about her father, even after all the years they’ve been apart, as if he just went to the store and is coming right back), that there will be no chance for her and her sister Frimpongmaah to see or hear from their beloved dada ever again??? It was for the love of his girls (who have been living with my mother since) that he left Ghana, hoping for a better life for them. My brother is not a murderer he could never do the despicable act he’s been convicted of-even the son of the murdered victim who unfortunately witnessed his father being beating to death, said that my brother-Kofi Boateng was not involved. My brother is a kind, generous and a lovable teddy bear of a person, who loves life and is full of life. My brother was beaten profusely and tortured by electrical shocks. He was forced under duress to sign statements-what was in those statements, no one knows; (1) they were signed under duress, (2) they were in Arabic- he does not speak, read or understand it. A total of six (6) young men were arrested. Two (2) of them were beaten to death-there is no knowledge if their families were ever notified. If Kofi (Obolo) Boateng is guilty of anything- he is guilty of not speaking Arabic, of not being educated, of succumbing to torture while he watched his 2 friends beaten to death. This is truly abominable and an injustice. No human being under these circumstances is deserving of such appalling condemnation. No one! The clock is ticking; a human life hangs unbalance, waiting to be discarded at any moment. A mother is about to lose her son! 2 daughters are about to lose their father! A sister is about to lose her brother!

I therefore am appealing to the government of Ghana to intervene urgently in this case to secure the immediate release of Kofi (Obolo) Boateng into the custody of Ghanaian government. I do appreciate very much this act of compassion and humanity on your part.