Libya: BBC news team beaten up by Gaddafi’s forces

10 Mar 11 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost

A BBC news team trying to reach the town of Zawiya were detained, beaten and subjected to mock executions by pro-Gaddafi forces. The team of three were detained on Monday at an army roadblock and taken to a military barracks in Tripoli where they were held for 21 hours. After release they left the country.

The Guardian reports today that its correspondent, Ghaith Abdul-Ahad, and his travelling companion Andrei Netto, from the Brazilian newspaper Estado, are missing in Libya.  Abdul-Ahad, an Iraqi national, was last in touch with the paper through a third party on Sunday.

Libya: Hundreds dead in clashes between protesters and security forces

21 Feb 11 | Index Index, Middle East and North Africa, minipost

Clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces over the past few days have left at least 200 dead and many more wounded. The government has reacted strongly against demonstrators, with reports of gunfire and restricted hospital supplies. In a televised address Muammar Gaddafi’s son and heir apparent, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi termed the demonstrators “seditious elements,” warning that Libya faced a civil war. “We will take up arms, we will fight to the last bullet,” he said. Restrictions on local and international media make it difficult to build an accurate picture of the demonstrations and to independently verify casualty numbers.