By Elaine Donnelly
Extending sexual misconduct to combat units
In Libya, the National Transitional Council (Arabic: المجلس الوطني الانتقالي, al-majlis al-waṭanī al-intiqālī) is a body formed by anti-Gaddafi rebels during the 2011 uprising. Its formation was announced in the city of Benghazi on 27 February 2011 and its intended purpose is to act as the "political face of the revolution". In some media outlets, the council is referred to as the "National Libyan Council" or the "Libyan National Council". On 5 March 2011, the council issued a statement in which it declared itself to be the "sole representative of all Libya". The council refers to the Libyan state as the Libyan Republic (Arabic: الجمهورية الليبية al-Jumhūriyya al-Lībiyya). - Source: Wikipedia
France will host a meeting next week to address growing concerns over the dire security situation in Libya, a French official said on Tuesday.
Security in Benghazi, the eastern Libyan city where four Americans were killed Sept. 11 in a terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate, has decayed to the point where Westerners are fleeing, assassinations and kidnappings are rife and residents worry that U.S. drone strikes on jihadist targets are imminent.
Libya's first democratically elected leaders now govern the North African nation, after interim rulers handed over power in a ceremony late Wednesday in the capital, Tripoli.
Libya's outgoing leader on Wednesday described the recently held parliamentary elections as a "miracle" and said he does not expect Islamists to rule the country.
Jubilant Libyans chose a new parliament Saturday in their first nationwide vote in decades, but violence and protests in the restive east underscored the challenges ahead as the oil-rich North African nation struggles to restore stability after last year's ouster of longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
Fears of militia violence and calls for a boycott threatened Friday to mar Libya's first nationwide parliamentary election, a milestone on the oil-rich North African nation's rocky path toward democracy after the ouster of dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
Gunmen shot down a helicopter carrying voting materials near the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi on Friday, killing one election commission worker, a spokesman for the country's ruling council said.
Abdel Baset al-Megrahi, a Libyan intelligence officer who was the only person ever convicted in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, died Sunday, nearly three years after he was released from a Scottish prison to the outrage of the relatives of the attack's 270 victims. He was 60.
Libya's ruling National Transitional Council issued a new law Wednesday that bans parties based on religious principles, the council spokesman said. The surprise move was denounced by Islamists organizing to compete in upcoming elections.
One year after the start of the revolution that ended Moammar Gadhafi's 42-year rule, Libya's government has no control over militia groups in a country awash with weapons. Human rights groups have accused some militias of torturing detainees, and many Libyans are frustrated with the lack of openness in the transitional government.
On the eve of the one-year anniversary of the Feb. 17 revolution, residents here say that while they are thrilled their former dictator is gone, there hasn't been enough of an effort to purge his supporters from the leadership.
The Treasury Department on Tuesday imposed sanctions on a key supporter of one of the sons of the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi.
Representatives of about 100 militias from western Libya said Monday they had formed a new federation to prevent infighting and allow them to press the country's new government for further reform.
Libyans are accusing their new rulers of corruption, secrecy and nepotism, as protests grow across the country only three months after the death of dictator Moammar Gadhafi fueled hopes for democratic change in the North African nation.
Libya's new leaders said Sunday they will try Moammar Gadhafi's son at home and not hand him over to the International Criminal Court where he's charged with crimes against humanity. The government also announced the capture of the toppled regime's intelligence minister, who is also wanted by the court.
