Gaddafi forces beat up BBC team

[pampango]

Source: BBC

Libyan leader Col Muammar Gaddafi's security forces detained and beat up a BBC news team who were trying to reach the strife-torn western city of Zawiya. The three were beaten with fists, knees and rifles, hooded and subjected to mock executions by members of Libya's army and secret police. The men were detained on Monday and held for 21 hours, but have now flown out of Libya.

A second member of the team - Feras Killani, a correspondent of Palestinian descent - is said to have been singled out for repeated beatings. Their captors told him they did not like his reporting of the Libyan popular uprising and accused him of being a spy.

The third member of the team, cameraman Goktay Koraltan, said they were all convinced they were going to die.

During their detention, the BBC team saw evidence of torture against Libyan detainees, many of whom were from Zawiya. Koraltan said: "I cannot describe how bad it was. Most of them were hooded and handcuffed really tightly, all with swollen hands and broken ribs. They were in agony. They were screaming."

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12695077

[uppityperson]

1. Beating up media is a really stupid thing to do. k&r

[LeftishBrit]

2. Horrible man.

[Peace Patriot]

3. Bush? Cheney? Rumsfeld? Ah, Gaddafi! Is it invasion yet? nt

[LeftishBrit]

8. All of them are horrible men; and this is about the BBC, not the Bushies (nt)

[Matilda]

4. Libyan citizens who have been beaten up are reluctant to talk,

for fear of further reprisals from Gaddafi's men. But these men have been taken out of the country, so they are safe from further attacks, and their testimony could be very important if Gaddafi is ever tried in the ICC.

Of course, Gaddafi is now blaming Britain and its "spies" for the trouble. Working hand in glove with Bin Laden, I presume.

[Turborama]

5. Video of their testimony at the link in the OP. Also, here's another BBC article on it...

BBC team's ordeal at hands of Gaddafi troops

Three members of a BBC team trying to reach the besieged town of Zawiya were detained and mistreated for 21 hours by the Libyan military. They were beaten and subjected to mock executions, the BBC's Wyre Davies in Tripoli reports.

When Chris, Feras and Goktay were stopped they had been on a journey taken by dozens of international journalists in Gaddafi's Libya.

Officially we are allowed to travel around the country freely and to see what we want.

The Libyan Information Ministry has even written to the United Nations to that effect, promising that free passage would be guaranteed to all reporters wishing to cover the crisis.

Much more (including the same video I mentioned): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-12695134

[Turborama]

6. The Guardian: BBC staff 'arrested and tortured in Libya by Gaddafi forces'

Journalists subjected to mock execution in ordeal which represents most serious incident against international media

Peter Beaumont in Tripoli | guardian.co.uk, Wednesday March 09 2011 21.42 GMT

Two journalists working for the BBC in Libya have been arrested, tortured and subjected to a mock execution by security forces of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi's regime.

The shocking account of their experiences, including being held in a cage in a militia barracks while others were tortured around them, was made available to media colleagues in Tripoli after the men had been released and left the country.

At one point during their captivity the men say they had shots fired past their heads as they were led into a barracks.

One of the men was attacked repeatedly with fists, boots, rifle butts, a stick and piece of pipe. He also described trying to help other victims of torture whom they saw, some of whom had had their ribs broken during beatings.

Much more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/mar/09/bbc-staff-arrest-torture-libya

[dipsydoodle]

7. What that seems to have been about

was finding out from them , despite the fact they were BBC and not Sky , how Alex Crawford had done her report the day before from Zawiyah. As far as I'm aware Sky then promptly got Alex out of the country for her own safety.

:hi: