What serious "crimes" would have blemished the records of the three Libyan students? None really.

As the authorities themselves have admitted, these are "preventive arrests made for crimes that have not been committed," including the intention to occupy the Libyan Embassy in Italy.

What is alleged about Nuri Ahusain and the others is that they have been at the forefront of protests against the bombing of Libya and have condemned them as imperialist intervention of NATO in the internal affairs of their country; that they have denied the reports, proven indeed that the "genocide" committed by forces loyal to Gadhafi is in effect media hype, and of having called the leaders of the revolt in Libya parasitic worms in the pay of Western invaders.

Accused, in short, of being patriots who defend the dignity and sovereignty of their country. Values ​​and behaviors that for the Italian authorities constitute the elements of a criminal offense, the conditions of a "real conspiracy to commit crimes."

Here, if anyone is committing a crime, it is instead the Berlusconi government, who only a year and a half after the signing of the treaty of friendship with Libya, have shaped and turned Italy, in perfect continuity with the old fascist colonialism, the outpost for aggression in that country. It is a government in its death throes that participates directly in the bombings that have nothing to do with the now ill-fated UN Resolution 1973, which included the use of force "only" to protect civilians. A government that justifies its dirty war on the pretext of "human rights" and is only interested in plundering the natural resource of Libyan oil.

A government that in order to prevent the Libyan people their legitimate right to protest against the repeated colonial aggression, arrested three innocent people based on a police manipulation resorting to the judicial monstrosity of "guilt by association compounded by its transnational nature."

We ask:

- The immediate release of Nuri Ahusain and the other two Libyan students

- The cessation of bombing on Libya

- The departure of Italy from the coalition of aggressors

- A ban on the use of Italian territory to attack Libya

Committee for the Freedom of the three Libyan patriots

Perugia, June 16, 2011

Sign the appeal - Send a message to join in to: "libertaperitre@tiscali.it" - write your name and city

Translated from Italian by John Catalinotto