At the seen when the group has been attacked by Gaddafi’s Thugs 25.05.2010

A protest in front of the Libyan embassy in London on Sunday 30th May 2010 by the BLSC

Piccadilly Gardens, Manchester

Display of Posters and leafletted the area – there was a good response from passers-by.

Demonstration outside BBC

On Saturday, 15th May, 2010, protesters gathered outside BBC on Oxford Road, Manchester as part of the British Libyan Solidarity Campaign demonstration for justice for the families of the victims of abu salim prison masacre in June, 1996.

In Abu Salim prison, in Libya, on 28th and 29th June 1996: “1,200 detainees were believed to have been extra-judicially executed”[1], according to a recent report by Amnesty Internationl. Libyan authorities “have not revealed the truth”, it goes on. Although Gaddafi acknowledged some eight years later that “killings took place”, no perpretators have been brought to justice.

Familes continue to stage demonstrations calling for “justice, peace and adequate reparation”.

In a recent development on 17th April, 2010, Libyan police failed to intervene when one such  demonstration was allegedly attacked by counter demonstrator Mouftah Badri, resulting in the hospitalization of some of the demonstrators. Amnesty International are calling on “the Libyan authorities to ensure that a full, independent, and impartial investigation is conducted into the incident of 17 April 2010, including into allegations of the failure of the security forces to intervene”.

Poster exhibition

The protestors chose the BBC as their location because they belive that as Britain’s public broadcaster the BBC is under a duty to keep the public informed of the facts concerning crimes of foreign regimes with which the British government may be colluding in trade and political support. The demonstrators are demanding that the BBC give more coverage to Libyan human rights abuses in general and to the Abu Salim masacre in particular, rather than burying the bad news in what minimal coverage it provides.

They handed out leaflets containing information about the latest incident in bengazi. Community activist Azeldin el Sharif made a public reading of the Amnesty International report on recent incident in Libya. Posters contributed by Abdu el Libi and alsatur and Mohammed Makhluf showing the reality of the Libyan regime were exhibited on the wall of the BBC.

Campaigners met with a good response from the public. People came up and asked questions and took leaflets and copies of the report.

For more pictures of the event click here.

1. Amnesty International, “Libya: Recent incident highlights need for investigations into the Abu Salim Prison killings”, 30/4/2010, available online at: http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/asset/MDE19/006/2010/en/4d90ca80-57fc-47a1-8849-5c1ca5f857c4/mde190062010en.html

Gadafi's son

Gadafi's daughter

Col Gaddafi’s government has recalled some of its diplomats from Switzerland, reduced flights between the countries, stopped processing visa requests from Swiss citizens, demanded the closure of Swiss firms in Libya and detained two Swiss citizens.

Swiss foreign minister Micheline Calmy-Rey has formally complained about the moves to her Libyan counterpart and has advised citizens not to travel to Libya.

Swiss International Air Lines said Libya has reduced its flights between Zurich and Tripoli from three per week to one. The airline’s spokesman said: “The notice from Libya was very surprising and short notice.” Libya also announced a similar cut in Geneva flights with Libyan airline Afriqiyah.

Col Gaddafi’s youngest son Hannibal, 32, and his wife Aline were arrested last Wednesday after an incident in a five-star hotel in Geneva. He was released on bail two days later after posting bail of 500,000 Swiss Francs. His wife, who is nine months pregnant, was taken to hospital during police questioning.

The couple were charged with assaulting two of their staff, a Moroccan man and a Tunisian woman, with a belt and coat hanger. The woman was hospitalised.

Mr Gaddafi and his wife deny the allegations. They had arrived in Geneva on July 5 for the birth of their child.

Switzerland have dispatched a diplomatic delegation to Tripoli to provide the Libyan authorities with more details about the arrest and “to prevent a crisis between the two countries”, the Swiss foreign ministry said.

Libya is the largest provider of oil to Switzerland. Hannibal Gaddafi has had previous run-ins with the law. In 2005, he was convicted by a French court for striking his pregnant companion in a Paris hotel. He was given a four-month suspended prison sentence and a 500 Euro fine.

He also was at the centre of a separate commotion in 2004, when Paris police stopped him for speeding on the Champs Elysees and his bodyguards attacked several officers. Two of the bodyguards were taken into custody but released after a delegation from the Libyan embassy showed up at the police station and apologised.

Libya has recalled some of its diplomats in Switzerland, suspended the issuing of visas for Swiss citizens, cut down flights to Switzerland and has been detaining two Swiss nationals on various charges, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “Swiss companies in Libya have received orders to close, and some company offices have been sealed,” it added.

Swiss International Air Lines said Libya has restricted its flights to a single flight per week following the arrest of Hannibal Khadafy. Airline spokesman Jean-Claude Donzel confirmed a report in the dailies Le Matin and Tribune de Geneve that the Libyan authorities had said the reduction from three flights a week between Zurich and Tripoli was for technical operational reasons.

Libya also announced a similar cut in the flights of the Libyan airline Afriqiyah to Geneva, the Geneva airport disclosed.

Agencies

(China Daily 07/24/2008 page11)