JUNE 2, 2005
Posted: June 21, 2005
Daif al-Gahzal al-Shuhaibi, freelance
KILLED—CONFIRMED
Al-Ghazal’s body was found in Benghazi, his hometown, about 1,000 km (620 miles) east of the capital, Tripoli, on or about June 2 after he went missing from his home on May 21, according to several sources. Al-Ghazal was a former journalist for the government-owned daily Azahf al-Akhdar and was contributor to the London-based Web sites Libya Alyoum and Libya Jeel.
Justice Minister Ali Hasnaoui said al-Ghazal was shot in the head and the death was being investigated as a murder, according to international press reports.
Al-Ghazal, who worked for government media for several years and was a member of the governing Revolutionary Committees, had recently been critical of government officials and the official media in articles for the London-based Web sites. Al-Ghazal wrote an open letter in February, announcing his intention never to write for official media again and saying he was “protesting the attacks … journalists have faced while trying to reveal the truth.” Al-Ghazal publicly criticized Libyan officials in his other articles on Libya Alyoum and Libya Jeel, accusing them of corruption and “stealing the public’s money.”
A source close to al-Ghazal told CPJ that the journalist was briefly detained and questioned about his writings for the London-based Web sites by Libyan security agents in April.