By Ashraf Abdul Wahab.
Tripoli, 15 December:
Around 100 people held a demonstration in Zawia in solidarity with the embattled former chairman of . . .[restrict]the National Transitional Council, Mustafa Abdul Jalil.
The crowd gathered on Saturday afternoon in Martyrs’ Square in Zawia, holding placards showing their support for the former NTC head.
Jalil was questioned by the military prosecutor earlier this week over his possible connection to the death of General Abdul Fatah Younis in July 2011, and may now be standing trial in the near future.
Civil society organisations in western Libya have also expressed their solidarity with the NTC chairman, and warned that the case threatens Libyan national unity. One of the charges against Jalil is the Committing [of] Acts that Would Harm Libyan Unity.
Activists have condemned the leaking of information regarding the Jalil case, whilst calling for a full disclosure of the details regarding Younis’s assassination.
They also queried why proceedings were being brought so quickly against one of the leaders of the 17 February revolution at a time when many senior Qaddafi figures are still to stand trial.
They nevertheless called on the government to ensure that any trial of the former NTC chairman is both free and fair.
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