Libya’s Justice Minister Resigns In Protest At Crackdown
By Ria Novosti
Libya’s Justice Minister Moustapha Abdel Jalil has resigned in protest at “the excessive use of force” used against demonstrators during continuing unrest, the Libyan paper Quryna said on Monday.
Reports from Libya suggest that over 200 people have been killed by government forces since violent demonstrations and protests against the country’s longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi began last week. Unrest started in the west of the country, but has now spread to the capital, Tripoli.
On Monday protestors claimed control of Benghazi, Libya’s second city, the Al Jazeera TV channel reported.
In a TV speech delivered on Sunday, Sayf al-Islam Gaddafi, the Libyan leader’s son and heir-apparent, threatened that the country could descend into civil war – and even a new period of Western “colonization” – if anti-governmental protestors ousted his father.
“Libya is at a crossroads. If we do not agree today on reforms… rivers of blood will run through Libya,” Saif al-Islam Gaddafi said.
He blamed Islamic extremists and foreigners for the unrest that has swept over Libya.
International organization Human Rights Watch has reported 233 people killed since the beginning of the Libyan unrest. The authorities say there are 84 dead.
