Tripoli, 15 September:
Tomorrow, Sunday, has been designated as Eid Al-Shihad (Martyr’s Day) and will be the first in what is to . . .[restrict]be an annual public holiday on 16 September.
The date is the anniversary of the 1931 execution of Omar Mukhtar, Libya’s national hero and head of the Senussi forces, by the Italian colonial forces.
It has been decided that the observation should be extended to include all Libya’s martyrs including those who died in 17 February Revolution last year.
The day will be marked in Benghazi by ceremony in Tahrir Square, presided over by Chief of Staff Yusuf Mangoush, during which it is hoped people will hand in weapons. [/restrict]
