Protests in Libya

Isn't there a good chance that the US would back, from the very beginning, a political movement against Qadafy? Quite different from Tunisia and Egypt.

Surely it's spelt Gaddafi anyway?

the mercenaries have now been kicked out of BAYDA and sent to the green mountain vallies surrounding the city, people joyous

Bayda: youth have formed groups to drive and bring in med supplies and other groups to defend the city from the mercenaries

Bayda: Police are sided with the people!!!! they are passing them weaponry to defend against the mercenaries

receiving note from Ajdabiya, 'the city is now in the hands of the protesters after a few deaths'

Breaking news of protesters take Albeyda Airport prevent 2 planes thought 2 b bringing mercenary backup

BREAKING: Bayda mercenaries are said to number 700 working under libyan officers, kicked out of the city

EVERY news organization thats been reporting on #Feb17 #Libya has the story wrong. Talk to the people in the country (not the ones paid off)

Bayda: between 25 and 35 dead in Bayda in total, and lots lots more injured, the youth are working tirelessly

Green Square (Tripoli) 15 min ago... #Libya #AJA #feb17 http://twitpic.com/40v26y

Report from Benghazi--7 year old shot in head

Reports in Libya: unconfirmed, Deaths so far well into 3 figures #Libya #Feb17, benghazi over 50 alone bayda 25-35

Source in #BENGHAZI: half of the city is out demonstrating. point of no return down

BREAKING: Tajora outside Tripoli now in full swing with anti Gov protesters

Confirmed sporadic and small groups of anti-government protesters in the capital #Tripoli

Amazing job on Libya by NYT Lede blog. Many videos posted. http://nyti.ms/eGr7gc Word is getting out, keep working guys!

Protests form and are later dispersed by thugs. #Tripoli trying to get organized. It's a matter of time.

Hundreds of #Egyptians protested outside the #Libya consulate in #Alexandria in solidarity with the Libyan struggle against #Gaddafi.

Good collection of #Libya vids http://is.gd/DQ2UIP

Mercenaries operating in #Libya have been confirmed to be #French speaking Africans from CHAD.

Libya
In the third quarter of 2010 (the most recent period for which figures are available), equipment approved for export included wall and door breaching projectile launchers, crowd control ammunition, small arms ammunition, tear gas/irritant ammunition, training tear gas/irritant ammunition. Ammunition comprised £3.2m of the £4.7m million of military items licensed.

Sniper rifles were among the other equipment licensed in 2010. No requests for licences were refused in 2010.

Libya is a UKTI/DSO priority market country, and the UK has made ‘high level political interventions’ in support of arms sales to Libya.

Libya was also invited to attend the UK arms fairs: the Farnborough Airshow in 2010 and Defence and Security Equipment International in 2009.

The UK had by far the largest pavilion at Libya’s arms fair LibDex in 2010, and was supported by a team from UKTI DSO.

12:16pm Hassan El Amin, editor of Libya Al Mostaqbal, talks live to Al Jazeera from London. He says that reports of 75 dead and hundreds injured in recent violence against protesters. 

9:08am BBC radio, quoting an eyewitness, said protesters against Gaddafi's four decades long rule clashed with security forces, who were using guns, and doctors had counted the bodies of 10 people. 

8:31am Thousands of anti-government protesters are on the streets of Libya's eastern city of Benghazi, a day after "day of rage" demonstrations led to fatal skirmishes with the security forces. 
 
5.23am In a statement on its website on Thursday, Human Rights Watch said Libyan security forces has killed at least 24 protesters and wounded many others in its crackdown on peaceful demonstrations.

In the statement, Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch said:

Quote:

The security forces' vicious attacks on peaceful demonstrators lay bare the reality of Muammar Gaddafi's brutality when faced with any internal dissent

You can read the whole statement here

The official media are slowly adjusting their death count upwards. The BBC this morning speaks of a possible 24 deaths over the past two days. This is shared by the New York Times. Amnesty International say they’ve confirmed 12 deaths, while Libyan State TV maintains that only 7 people died.


The BBC’s Rana Jawad said around 10 am GMT that there were many gunshots overnight but that it’s relatively quiet now. She confirmed again the statements of the doctor in Jala hospital who counted 15 bodies but was afraid it would be more this morning. Among the victims is a 13 year old boy, but the majority of the men killed are between 18 and 25 years old.

The reports are still in stark contrast with the reports on twitter that the death toll is possibly as high as 75-80. Still the majority of news sources focus on a new day of protest in Bahrain, mentioning any protests in Libya “on the side”.


The Guardian does have an article focused on Libya and mentions that protesters are back on the street. They also mention a possible 10-15 deaths in Benghazi and Al-Bayda, but mention that reports on twitter are much higher.

The media are cautious in their estimates and say it is difficult for them to verify information. Perhaps this is also in light of the rumours that were around during the Egypt protests. At the time, there were rumours that the Egyptian government deliberately fed misinformation to reputable media sources to make them look bad.

The people want today to be a day of unity.

Contact in #Benghazi NOW: Prayers for 13 funerals in front of court. Thousands gathered.

Human Rights Watch: At least 24 dead in #Libya. Source I spoke with last night said witnesses reported 39 in Benghazi & Baida alone.

hopeful of tripoli today, sources claim they are ready to begin after friday prayers, watch this space

Today is Friday, big protests are planned for after Juma3a (afternoon prayer) #Gaddafi killed over 60 people yesterday in #Libya

Breaking from Al-Bayda: Funeral processions have started; 10 dead

http://bit.ly/fZ1yaB guys video of DEAD in benghazi, please spread to media urgent [***warning: graphic footage***]

Protesters damage #Bayda airprt runwy 2 prevent military planes from landing after attacks on protesters by aircraft

Escaped prisoners from Alkwayfya prison in #Benghazi have joined the protesters in the fight against the regime

11.05am – Libya: Anti-Gaddafi demonstrators have taken over several cities in eastern Libya but have suffered scores of deaths, according to exiled opposition groups in London.

Government troops have withdrawn from al-Bayda, the scene of earlier confrontations, and protesters have blocked the runway to prevent military reinforcements arriving, the National Front for the Salvation of Libya maintains.

Mohamad Ali Abdalla, the deputy director of the NFSL, said:

Quote:

I was told that there were 13 deaths in the city of al-Bayda alone last night and six more in Benghazi.

In al-Bayda, the city has been taken over and protesters are dismantling the runway to stop any military planes landing.

In total, there have been 30 deaths in Benghazi since demonstrations began on January 15th. Some of those who died were injured citizens who had been taken to al-Jala hospital in Benghazi.

Members of the revolutionary committee were shooting the injured who were brought in. I was told this by a nurse in al-Jala Hospital.

The government's revolutionary committee headquarters have been captured in other places, the FNSL claimed. In Ajdabiya, in north-eastern Libya, demonstrations were in charge of the city.

There have been few demonstrations further west nearer to the capital, Tripoli. In the western mountains, nearer to Tunisia, protesters have also been out on the streets.

Several opposition sites have reported that Gaddafi's regime has been relying on French-speaking soldiers, or "mercenaries" drawn from neighbouring Chad to crack down on the demonstrations

Anti-government protesters have seized control of the eastern Libyan city of al-Bayda after they were joined by some local police, two separate Libyan exile groups said on Friday.

"Al-Bayda is in the hands of the people," Giumma el-Omami of the Libyan Human Rights Solidarity group told Reuters.

"The city is out of the control of the [Muammar] Gaddafi regime," said Fathi al-Warfali of the Libyan Committee for Truth and Justice.

The reports, which the two groups said were based on their own telephone contacts with the city of some 250,000 people, could not be independently verified.

moving to the west, Rajban: situation dire, no elec no net, 2 boys martyred, one was 17 first martyr in the west Omar Altabol

Zintan: very close to Rajban and almost exact same situation, scenes of most powerful videos, chanting go to hell gaddafi

ZIntan cont: they seem to have isolated all these villages and towns in the area with army, i think to protect tripoli

Massacre in El Baydaa - Lybia, cars on fire, live ammo, lots dead inlc a 6 year old girl.

Tripoli: now moving to the capital, situation tense, people waiting for the guy next door to go out first reports of small..

Ajdabia police sided with protesters to fight mercenaries but now gov shut down elec and net, it is surrounded by military

Breaking reports from #Benghazi: "We can see army in the city, can't see police anywhere"

The number of protesters in Benghazi is Estimated at 100,000

Situation is very tense in #Tripoli. I'm going for Friday prayers soon... We'll join the #egypt and #tunisia club soon insha'allah

1233: Khaleel, in the Libyan capital Tripoli, tells the BBC: "Things have reached boiling point in Tripoli, everyone is waiting for something to be triggered. There have been some small protests - they've started in Tripoli and there have been others in Fashloom, and Tajora, Sidi-Khalifa. I think there will be much bigger protests today. Things are going really badly - especially in Eastern parts of Libya. If this starts in Tripoli Gaddafi will be lost"

BREAKING: contact: people leaving bayda with weapons provided by police, headed to benghazi to fight mercenaries!!!! #Libya #Feb17

Imams in the mosques of Tripoli refuse to read the sermons given to them by regime

#
1602: Libyan newspaper Quryna has reported the torching of security, administrative and judicial buildings in Benghazi, including those of Revolutionary Committees, as well as two police stations in al-Baraka and al-Fuwayhat. It says more than 1,000 inmates escaped from the al-Kuwayfiayaa correctional facility in Benghazi on Friday. Security sources said about 150 had been recaptured.