A Libyan journalist was kidnapped Monday in the country’s second city Benghazi, the government media authority said. Siraj Abdelhafid al-Mogassbi was seized from the offices of Al-Hayat newspaper where he works, it said in a statement. It said unknown assailants entered the Al-Hayat offices “threatening” employees and seized Mogassbi. They refused to show identification or an arrest warrant or to explain their action, the statement said, adding that Al-Hayat shares offices with the government media authority branch of Benghazi.
Authority head Abderrazag al-Dahhesh said police were informed and that he “personally contacted the state prosecutor” to condemn the abduction. Libya has been ravaged by violence since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Kadhafi in 2011. It is ranked 165 out of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF).
