Persian Realm

U.S. probes Libya terror attack

by Darius Kadivar on Wed Oct 10, 2012 09:20 AM PDT

Official defends Libya attack response (cnn)  Washington (CNN) -- At a congressional hearing Wednesday loaded with political implications, a top State Department official will defend the administration's handling of the terrorist attack in Libya that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans on the anniversary of 9/11.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• NEW: Top State Department official addresses criticism in congressional hearing testimony
• The Sept. 11 attack killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans
• Republicans argue President Obama's policies caused vulnerability to such an attack
• The administration changed description of event from a protest gone awry to a terror attack

LIVE: Congressional Hearing on Benghazi Attack

by Darius Kadivar on Wed Oct 10, 2012 09:17 AM PDT

LIVE: Benghazi hearing (cnn, video)

 

 

Wyre Davies take on developments in Benghazi

by Darius Kadivar on Sun Sep 23, 2012 04:16 AM PDT

Wyre Davies
BBC News, Tripoli

Central authority in Libya is desperately weak. Libyans are, above all, worried about security and the inability to bring the many armed militias - not just the Islamists - under government control.

Earlier this week I met the leader of Ansar al-Sharia in the same Benghazi compound that was overrun on Friday night. They, like other Islamists including al-Qaeda, reject the notion of a Western-style democratic Libya. To them, democracy is incompatible with Islam.

The hardliners are right about one thing - the battle for Libya is not yet over. But as the country's first democratic elections showed, most people support a moderate, Muslim future for a country that is still coping with the aftermath of 42 years of dictatorship.

What is perhaps most notable about the protests in Benghazi is that it was popular, not government pressure that forced the hardliners to retreat. But at least 10 people were killed in a country still awash with guns and in desperate need of direction if Libya is to avoid a second civil war.

Libyan city militia 'to disband'

by Darius Kadivar on Sun Sep 23, 2012 04:13 AM PDT

Libyan city militia 'to disband' (bbc)

 

A powerful militia in eastern Libya has announced it will disband, hours after military police and protesters routed militias from the city of Benghazi.

Leaders of the Abu Slim Brigade said the group would dissolve and quit its bases in Derna, east of Benghazi.

Another militia group, Ansar al-Sharia, suspected of a deadly attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, was also reported to be leaving Derna.

On Friday night protesters and police stormed Ansar al-Sharia's headquarters.

In scenes reminiscent of last year's uprising against Col Muammar Gaddafi, they ransacked the group's compound in Benghazi, setting light to buildings and vehicles.

There has been growing hostility towards Libya's Islamist armed groups since the 11 September attack on the US consulate that killed Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three others Americans.

 

Islamist militia driven out of Benghazi base

by Darius Kadivar on Sat Sep 22, 2012 12:10 PM PDT

'Militia driven out of its base' (bbc, Video) 

The Islamist militia accused of killing the US ambassador to Libya earlier this month has been driven out of its base in the city of Benghazi.

Police and protesters stormed the headquarters of the Ansar al-Sharia group, following huge demonstrations against unofficial militias assuming power in the area.

At least 10 people died during the action, in which the base of another militia - said to have official backing - was also attacked.

Wyre Davies reports. 

Libyan protesters overtake Islamist group's HQ

by Darius Kadivar on Sat Sep 22, 2012 02:54 AM PDT

Libyan protesters overtake Islamist group's HQ (cnn, video)

 

Ten days after four Americans were killed in their city, hundreds march in Benghazi and take over the headquarters of a radical Islamist group tied to the attack. 

Benghazi awaits better times despite US consulate tragedy

by Darius Kadivar on Tue Sep 18, 2012 01:58 PM PDT

Defiant city  by Wyre Davis (bbc)

 

Benghazi awaits better times despite US consulate tragedy

 

Last week's killings of Ambassador Chris Stevens and his staff sent shockwaves through a country that has just held its first democratic elections and is trying to rebuild its relations with the outside world.

At this weekend's Martyrs' Day celebrations in Benghazi, they celebrated as only Libyans know best - with guns. Tribal horsemen fired shotguns into the ground and showed off their prowess at controlling their steeds as they bolted.

Others, mainly widows and children, held aloft portraits of loved ones killed during last year's fighting. In the city where the uprising against Muammar Gaddafi began, there are reminders everywhere of the huge sacrifices these people made to win their freedom.

And, in a country awash with guns, powerful militias still refuse to surrender their weapons - among them the ultra-conservative Islamists from Ansar al-Sharia.

They were accused, by some, of being involved in the assault on the US consulate.

 

Libyans hold up signs apologizing for US Ambassador's death

by Darius Kadivar on Thu Sep 13, 2012 12:39 PM PDT

Libyans hold up signs apologizing (cnn, PHOTOS)

 

 

Has Libya bucked the Islamist trend?

by Darius Kadivar on Thu Jul 19, 2012 01:03 PM PDT

'Politicians not preachers' (bbc)

 

Has Libya bucked the Islamist trend?

 

t is difficult to sum up the alliance of parties that has done so well in Libya's first elections since the overthrow of Col Muammar Gaddafi.

The National Forces Alliance (NFA), led by ex-interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, gained more than double the seats of its Islamist rivals.

So should its MPs be described as secularist liberals or moderate modernists?

 

Secularist success in Libya vote

by Darius Kadivar on Wed Jul 18, 2012 04:05 PM PDT

Secularist success in Libya vote (bbc)

Results from Libya's first elections since the overthrow of Col Gaddafi have shown gains for an alliance of parties seen as broadly secular.

The National Forces Alliance, led by ex-interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril, has won 39 out of 80 seats reserved for political parties.

The Muslim Brotherhood's party has gained 17.

The 200-member General National Assembly will also include dozens of independent candidates.

The overall orientation that the assembly will have is so far unclear.

 

Liberal success in Libya election

by Darius Kadivar on Tue Jul 17, 2012 03:38 PM PDT

Liberal success in Libya election (bbc)

Results from Libya's first elections after the overthrow of Col Gaddafi show gains for an alliance led by former interim PM Mahmoud Jibril.

• Profile: Mahmoud Jibril

Libya defector had heart attack conclude Austrian officials

by Darius Kadivar on Wed Jul 11, 2012 07:09 AM PDT

Libya defector had heart attack (bbc)

 

Austrian officials say former Libyan Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem had a heart attack before falling into the Danube, and foul play is ruled out

Libya defector had heart attack conclude Austrian officials

by Darius Kadivar on Wed Jul 11, 2012 07:08 AM PDT

Libya defector had heart attack (bbc)

 

Austrian officials say former Libyan Oil Minister Shukri Ghanem had a heart attack before falling into the Danube, and foul play is ruled ou

Libya's Mahmoud Jibril calls for national unity

by Darius Kadivar on Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:27 AM PDT

Jibril: National unity for Libya (bbc, Video)

 

Libya's former interim Prime Minister Mahmoud Jibril has called for national unity between political parties.

Mr Jibril said political factions must work together to restore order, which the state was too weak to enforce.

"The most important priority right now for all political parties is to unite behind one objective, bringing back the state back to our life," Mr Jibril told the BBC.

He is said to have done well in the first national post-Gaddafi elections.

Mr Jibril, who was interim prime minister for seven months during the uprising against Col Muammar Gaddafi last year, now leads a bloc of political parties called the National Forces Alliance.

Local media reports have said Mr Jibril's alliance leads the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood in Saturday's parliamentary elections but official results have not yet been announced.

 

 

Libyan elections

• 2.8 million registered voters from around 3-3.5 million eligible (45% women)
• 2,639 individual candidates (competing for 120 seats in 69 constituencies)
• 374 party lists from more than 100 political entities (competing for 80 party seats in 20 constituencies)
• 559 women registered for party seats (44%)
• 88 women registered for individual seats (3%)

Source: The UN and the Libyan Electoral High Commission (HNEC)

 

 

 

 

Bewildered but happy: Libyans enjoy first free vote for decades

by Darius Kadivar on Sun Jul 08, 2012 01:54 PM PDT

Bewildered but happy (bbc)

 

Libyans enjoy first free vote for decades

 

Libyan elections

• 2.8 million registered voters from around 3-3.5 million eligible (45% women)
• 2,639 individual candidates (competing for 120 seats in 69 constituencies)
• 374 party lists from more than 100 political entities (competing for 80 party seats in 20 constituencies)
• 559 women registered for party seats (44%)
• 88 women registered for individual seats (3%)

Source: The UN and the Libyan Electoral High Commission (HNEC)

 

Libya election: High turnout in historic vote

by Darius Kadivar on Sat Jul 07, 2012 11:54 AM PDT

Libyans flock to historic polls (bbc)

Libyans have been voting in their first free national election for 60 years.

They are selecting a temporary assembly which will have the task of picking a cabinet and a prime minister.

But voting was disrupted by unrest in some areas, particularly the east. Officials say 101 of more than 1,500 polling stations were unable to open.

Nevertheless, overall turnout has been described as high, with voters choosing their first government since Col Gaddafi came to power in 1969.

Tarik KafalaBBC News, Tripoli

In Tripoli's Martyr's Square, crowds started gathering before midday to wave flags, sing and honk their car horns as traffic came to a standstill.

When the polls closed, the celebrations got bigger and louder.

In the east of the country, where the revolution that ended the rule of Muammar Gaddafi started, the election has been marred by violence and the sacking of a polling station.

With 2,600 individuals and 400 political organisations to choose from, some voters appeared bewildered by the choice on offer, but the heavy voting I saw in Tripoli was ordered and calm.

One man, toothless and at least 80 years old, said he had never seen Libyans queue so quietly. 

In pictures: Libya votes

by Darius Kadivar on Sat Jul 07, 2012 11:50 AM PDT

In pictures: Libya votes (bbc)

 

 

'No ordinary election':Libya votes in1st free election in 40yrs

by Darius Kadivar on Sat Jul 07, 2012 01:03 AM PDT

'No ordinary election' (bbc, VIDEO)

 

 

Eight months after the death of Col Muammar Gaddafi, Libyan people are preparing to vote in their first free elections for more than 40 years.

Hundreds of candidates are standing for a national assembly, which will have the task of drafting a new constitution.

There are security concerns as some rebel groups are seeking to sabotage the process.

Wyre Davies reports. 

 

 

Libyans vote in historic election

by Darius Kadivar on Sat Jul 07, 2012 12:58 AM PDT

Libyans vote in historic election (bbc)

Libyans are voting in the first national election since the fall of Col Gaddafi, but the poll is being overshadowed by deep regional divisions.

 

 

Libyan elections

• 2.8 million registered voters from around 3-3.5 million eligible (45% women)
• 2,639 individual candidates (competing for 120 seats in 69 constituencies)
• 374 party lists from more than 100 political entities (competing for 80 party seats in 20 constituencies)
• 559 women registered for party seats (44%)
• 88 women registered for individual seats (3%)

Source: The UN and the Libyan Electoral High Commission (HNEC)

 

Libya election helicopter 'shot'

by Darius Kadivar on Fri Jul 06, 2012 03:06 PM PDT

Libya election helicopter 'shot' (bbc)

 

An electoral worker is killed after gunmen fire at a helicopter carrying voting material in the east of the country for Saturday's election, officials say.

Election material burned in Libya

by Darius Kadivar on Fri Jul 06, 2012 05:39 AM PDT

Election material burned in Libya (bbc)

 

A fire destroys election materials in Libya, days ahead of the country's first elections following the fall of Col Muammar Gaddafi.

Libya's Monarchists Call to boycott elections

by Darius Kadivar on Wed Jul 04, 2012 02:34 PM PDT

Calls to boycott Libya elections (bbc, VIDEO)

 

As Libyans get ready to go to the polls in historic parliamentary elections this week, there have been calls in the country's second largest city of Benghazi to boycott the vote.

Protesters say the oil-rich region of eastern Libya should be given a larger share of seats in the new 200-member parliament.

BBC Arabic's Ahmed Maher reports. 

 

 

Learning to vote:guide to Libya's first poll since Gaddafi fall

by Darius Kadivar on Wed Jul 04, 2012 09:10 AM PDT

Learning to vote (bbc) 

 

A guide to Libya's first poll since Gaddafi was ousted

 

Around 2.9 million Libyans will head to the polls on 7 July to elect a General National Congress as part of efforts to create a new political system after the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi.

This is Libya's first nationwide election since Col Gaddafi was toppled in 2011. It also follows local polls held in several Libyan cities earlier in 2012.

 

Dangerous divisions: Rival tribes in Libya clash before national

by Darius Kadivar on Mon Jul 02, 2012 11:45 AM PDT

Dangerous divisions(bbc):

 

Rival tribes in Libya clash before national polls

 

The BBC has seen first-hand evidence of torture and illegal detention as rival Libyan tribes clash in the west of the country.

Eight months after the death of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, some observers say his removal has exposed dangerous divisions in a weak and fragmented country, which is only a week away from its first nationwide elections.

This may be a "new" Libya but some things have a depressingly familiar feel.

In the western mountain town of Zintan, several tribal elders gather in the courtyard of a mosque to mourn the death of Abdul Salam Aghuz.

From still pictures and a video they play on a laptop computer, I can clearly see that the 49-year-old father of nine died a very painful death. There is heavy bruising on his body and his head has been badly beaten.

 

 

Aghuz was tortured, not by Col Gaddafi's henchmen, but by a rival tribe from a nearby town.

 

 

Benghazi election HQ 'ransacked'

by Darius Kadivar on Sun Jul 01, 2012 01:55 PM PDT

Benghazi election HQ 'ransacked' (bbc)

 

Pro-autonomy protesters attack the office of Libya's electoral authority in Benghazi, witnesses say, less than a week before landmark polls.

Can Libya's NTC avoid a victor's tyranny?

by Darius Kadivar on Wed Jun 27, 2012 12:19 PM PDT

Can Libya's NTC avoid a victor's tyranny? (france 24°

 

The detention of ICC lawyer Melinda Taylor (pictured) in the Libyan town of Zintan after meeting with her client, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, has exposed the failures of the Libyan justice system and the militia groups that have still not disbanded.

Libya ex-PM extradition 'illegal'

by Darius Kadivar on Sun Jun 24, 2012 11:37 PM PDT

Libya ex-PM extradition 'illegal' (bbc)

 

 

Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki says his country's extradition of Libyan ex-PM al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi back to Libya was "illegal".

Tunisia extradites Libya ex-PM

by Darius Kadivar on Sun Jun 24, 2012 09:09 AM PDT

Tunisia extradites Libya ex-PM (bbc)

 

Libyan ex-PM al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi is extradited by Tunisia, where he fled during the uprising against Col Gaddafi last year.

Group condemns Libya judge murder

by Darius Kadivar on Fri Jun 22, 2012 12:06 PM PDT

Group condemns Libya judge murder (bbc)

 

A Libyan human rights group condemns the killing of a judge tasked with investigating the murder of Col Gaddafi's ex-interior minister.

Tunisian jet attacks arms smugglers near Libyan border

by Darius Kadivar on Thu Jun 21, 2012 10:38 AM PDT

Gun smugglers attacked in Tunisia (bbc)

 

A Tunisian military plane destroys cars packed with weapons travelling near the border of Libya and Algeria.