A prominent Libyan activist and lawyer has been shot dead in the eastern city of Benghazi, as the latest attempt at talks on the country’s political future continue in neighbouring Tunisia. Hanan al-Barassi was killed in her car on one of Benghazi’s main streets. She had spoken out against cases of alleged rape and assault of women in the city, in which she implicated fighters linked to Gen Khalifa Haftar, the commander of one of the country’s warring factions. Amnesty International says that she and her daughter had received death threats. Her murder has sparked an outcry in Libya, with many calls online for justice. Barassi’s killing comes nearly a year and a half after the disappearance of lawmaker Siham Sergewa, who was abducted from her home in Benghazi by armed men. Before her abduction, she had slammed an offensive launched by Haftar in April last year to take the capital Tripoli from the United Nations-recognised Government of National Accord (GNA). Sergewa’s whereabouts are still unknown. The murder of Barassi sparked an outcry across Libya, with many on social media demanding justice.
SOURCE: AL ARABY
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