Libyan journalist Abdelhafid al-Mogassbi, kidnapped about five weeks ago by unidentified men in Benghazi, eastern Libya, told AFP on Thursday that he had been released the day before.
Mr. Mogassbi, who had been kidnapped by a group of strangers from the premises of the Libyan newspaper Al-Hayat, was released on Wednesday and his state of health is “good”, he told AFP without specifying the circumstances of his abduction and detention. According to the General Press Authority, a body in charge of the public media, the kidnappers entered the offices of the newspaper for which Mr. Mogassbi works and which is on the premises of the Authority on November 22, “threatening and intimidating employees and journalists”.
Since the 2011 revolt that ended 42 years of dictatorship under Muammar Gaddafi, Libya has been plunged into a major political crisis, marked by power struggles, bloody violence, and the presence of militias and foreign fighters. Presented as the culmination of an UN-sponsored peace process, a presidential election set for December 24 was postponed in extremis, amid disagreements between rival camps over a ballot that was to be contested by several divisive candidates.
Media professionals have paid a heavy price for the conflict. Gaddafi’s dictatorship quickly gave way to anarchy. Numerous journalists, Libyans, and foreigners have been the target of attacks and kidnappings in recent years.
The North African country is in 165th position out of 180 countries in the 2021 world press freedom ranking published by the NGO Reporters Without Borders.
