By Taher Zaroog.
Misrata, 6 June 2013:
A court in Misrata has sentenced in absentia three men to death for the killing . . .[restrict]in 2011 of two others in a brawl at Sirte’s Ibn Sina Hospital. The three men, whose current whereabouts are unknown, are Omar Ben Nasser Muftah Al-Forjani, Al-Mabrouk Omar Mbarek Al-Shouli, and Ahmed Bashir Shkurni.
The verdict was handed down on Tuesday.
The case should have been conducted in Sirte Criminal Court but the file was transferred to Misrata Appeal Court, which is the general court in Misrata, allegedly because of concerns about security in Sirte.
In a separate case heard before the court the same day, the judge adjourned the trial of Ahmed Ibrahim, accused along with nine others of murdering members of the Al-Safrooni family in Sirte before the town was liberated. The family, from Misrata, known to be opposed to Qaddafi, were attacked by Qaddafi militiamen sent to “deal” with them.
The group’s alleged leader, Ahmed Ibrahim, and four others were arrested after liberation and charged with murder. Five others said to have been involved are still at large.
Ibrahim, believed to be born in Chad, is said to be member of the Qaddadfa tribe and related to Qaddafi.
The case was adjourned until 12 June due to the absence of his lawyer who was charged a one hundred-dinar fine.
Proceeding in a third case at the court, that of Khaled Tantoush, the religious face of the Qaddafi regime who fled Tripoli for Sirte with the dictator before it was liberated , were also adjourned for the same reason, the non appearance of the lawyer.
In this case, however, the court appointed a public lawyer to defend the cleric, who is accused with a number of offences including encouraging the killing of revolutionaries.
The case is postponed until 26 June but the lawyer has been ordered to provide the court wit a letter by 14 June explaining the reasons for his absence. [/restrict]
