(CNN) -- When Eman al-Obeidy approached journalists last week at Tripoli's Rixos Hotel, she did more than accuse Moammar Gadhafi's men of rape.

She also became the face of the anti-Gadhafi movement.

Since the highly publicized incident, which ended with a hysterical al-Obeidy being whisked away by government minders, the 29-year-old lawyer from Tobruk has been celebrated as a symbol of Libyan defiance.

"Many Libyans I know online on social media are holding up Eman al-Obeidy as a hero," said Mona Eltahawy, an Egyptian-born journalist who writes columns on Arab and Muslim issues. "And many people across the region -- Egyptians, Syrians -- (are) demanding to know where she is and fearing for her life."