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EU urges Libya to allow free expression, heed protests

16 February 2011, 13:52 CET
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(BRUSSELS) - The European Union on Wednesday urged the Libyan authorities to allow "free expression" in the north African nation and listen to protesters following clashes in the city of Benghazi.

"We also call for calm and for all violence to be avoided," said a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton.

The EU was following the situation closely after hospital officials said 38 people were hurt in clashes between security forces and demonstrators in the eastern city of Benghazi late on Tuesday.

"We call on the authorities to listen to all people who take part in protests as well as what civil society has to say, and to allow free expression," said Ashton's spokeswoman Maja Kocijancic.

Veteran Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, in power for more than four decades, is facing rare protests on Thursday in what one Facebook group called a "Day of Anger" -- mirroring events in neighbouring Tunisia and Egypt.

The newspaper Quryna, close to one of Kadhafi's sons, Seif al-Islam, said 10 members of the security forces had been injured Tuesday in a protest begun by relatives of prisoners killed in a 1996 shooting who were demanding the release of their lawyer, Fethi Tarbel.

Tarbel, who had been arrested for unknown reasons, was freed under pressure from the families, according to Quryna.

The BBC quoted witnesses as saying stones were thrown at police who responded with tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets.

The crowd of protesters grew and began chanting anti-regime slogans such as "The people will end the corruption" and "The blood of the martyrs will not be in vain," before police moved in to disperse them.

Soon afterwards, state television showed hundreds of demonstrators in the streets of Benghazi as well as Tripoli, Syrte and Sebha in support for Kadhafi, who seized power in a 1969 coup which ousted a Western-backed monarchy.

It broadcast footage of pro-regime demonstrators on foot and in cars, waving Libyan flags and portraits of Kadhafi. They chanted slogans against the Arab news channel Al-Jazeera, accused by the regime of having incited revolts.

Thursday's protest has been called to commemorate the deaths of 14 protesters in 2006 in an Islamist rally in Benghazi.

The European Commission last October offered Libya up to 50 million euros in aid to stop the flow of illegal migrants to Europe and to protect refugees.

Tripoli, which has long demanded financing and equipment to supervise its maritime and land borders, had requested five billion euros a year in EU funds to stop would-be migrants using its territory as a springboard into Europe.


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