LIBYA/FILE: Country prepares for the first anniversary of the beginning of an uprising which resulted in the death of leader Muammar Gaddafi

Record ID: 858802

  • Title: LIBYA/FILE: Country prepares for the first anniversary of the beginning of an uprising which resulted in the death of leader Muammar Gaddafi
  • Date: 16th February 2012
  • Summary: TRIPOLI, LIBYA (OCTOBER 20,2011) (REUTERS) CROWDS WAVING FLAGS GATHERED AT MARTYR'S SQUARE TO CELEBRATE GIRL WITH FACE PAINTED WITH REBEL FLAG COLOURS WOMEN AT SQUARE CHANTING AND SINGING VARIOUS OF CELEBRATIONS AT SQUARE MISRATA, LIBYA (OCTOBER 22, 2011) (REUTERS) PEOPLE QUEUING TO GAIN ENTRANCE INTO STORAGE ROOM TO SEE GADDAFI'S BODY AS SECURITY HAND OUT SURGICAL MASKS CHILDREN WEARING MASKS GIVE VICTORY SIGN VARIOUS OF MUAMMAR GADDAFI'S BODY IN BLANKET ON FLOOR OF STORAGE ROOM, BESIDE HIS SON MO'TASSIM GADDAFI OBARI, LIBYA (NOVEMBER 19, 2011) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF SAIF AL-ISLAM GADDAFI ABOARD PLANE BEFORE TAKE OFF
  • Embargoed: 2nd March 2012 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Libya, Libya
  • City:
  • Country: Libya
  • Topics: Conflict,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAE63OZY7LOYD233MVZH02FC93M
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: On Friday (February 17) Libyans will mark the first anniversary of the start of their country's uprising, which saw the overthrow and death of long-time leader Muammar Gaddafi.
    A riot in Benghazi on February 15, 2011 was triggered by the arrest of human rights activist Fethi Tarbel, who had been working to free Libya's political prisoners.
    Anti-government protests carried on in the eastern city, with a "day of rage" called on February 17. In the capital Tripoli pro-government rallies were held, as Gaddafi vowed to clamp down on the protests.
    A bloody civil war raged for months with the United Nations Security Council imposing a no-fly zone on the country and "all necessary measures" -- code for military action -- to protect civilians against Gaddafi's army.
    On August 21, as explosions and gunfire rattled Tripoli and days of battlefield defeats left Gaddafi's government and troops penned ever more tightly in the besieged capital, national Transitional Council (NTC) fighters entered the capital with little sign of resistance, despite a call by Gaddafi for citizens to take up arms and save his 41-year-old regime from annihilation.
    Gaddafi himself escaped to his hometown, Sirte, where after several weeks, as he was trying to flee to the south of the country, he was captured and then killed by NTC forces, along with his son Mo'tassim.
    Another of Gaddafi's sons, Saif al-Islam, was captured alive near the border with Niger on November 19. Libya's new government has vowed to give him a fair trial after criticism over events that led to the death of Muammar Gaddafi.
    Libya last week published its final draft of the country's election law, which will reserve two fifths of the seats for political parties, groups that were banned under Gaddafi's rule.
    Dozens of new parties have sprung up offering a vibrant mix of democratic, Islamist, free market and nationalist agendas and providing an alternative to established political movements like the Muslim Brotherhood.
    But the electoral picture has been clouded by widespread insecurity, with the interim government appointed in November struggling to impose its authority on a myriad of armed groups.
  • Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2012. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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