Tunis — The extradition of Baghdadi Mahmoudi, last prime minister under the regime of Muammar Gaddafi, took place Sunday at dawn, on decision of the Interim Government.

Members of the Defence Committee of Baghdadi Mahmoudi told TAP that their client was transferred from the Prison of Mornaguia to the Military Airport of Aouina at 5 a.m. ahead of his extradition to Libya.

They consider this operation as "illegal" and that it was conducted in a "surreptitious" way "without informing neither the committee members nor the family of their client."

Mr. Mohamed Salah Hassen said the last meeting that representatives of the defence committee had had with their client Baghdadi Mahmoudi took place last Friday.

Counsel Lilia Mestiri described the decision to extradite Mahmoudi to the Libyan authorities as "illegal," adding that "the operation had been conducted secretly, during a day off and in a shameful way."

For his part, Mr. Maher Amayed described the decision taken by the Interim Prime Ministry to extradite Baghdadi Mahmoudi as violation of all the laws and commitments of Tunisia to international human rights defence organisations.

Conditions on the protection of extradited persons were not guaranteed, he added, saying that a government delegation had visited Libya two days ago without however making public its report on guarantees required in the extradition, contrary to what had been indicated by the President of the Republic a few weeks ago.

He also recalled that international human rights organisations, including Amnesty International and the Libyan Organisation for Defence of Human Rights, opposed the extradition of Baghdadi Mahmoudi in this delicate situation experienced by Libya.