By Maha Ellawati.
Benghazi, 21 September 2o13:
A local businessman was shot dead in Benghazi’s Hawari road this morning.
Yousef Ajaj was driving in . . .[restrict]his car when an armed gang opened fire, killing him instantly.
The murder is not thought to be political. It is believed to be connected to a property dispute between him and a group of people who had occupied land he owned in the Hawari district.
According to reports, the three hectares of land were illegally occupied after the revolution. It is said that he tried to negotiate with the occupiers to get them to leave, offering them cash, but they refused. He then obtained a court order to remove them. Last night, it is reported, army special forces went in and evicted the occupiers, shooting into the air and without bloodshed. This morning he was dead.
It is not clear if Ajaj had clear title to the land. It is reported that he had papers showing proof of ownership since before the revolution and that these were accepted by the military before sending in their forces. But many are forged and the land registry has been closed since revolution. They are not giving out any certificates.
Many Libyans whose land was seized under Qaddafi’s infamous Law No 4 and handed over or sold to others are now taking it back, in some cases with the help of militias, paid or unpaid. As one disposed Libyan noted, “the only certificate is force”.
- Blood splattered across the inside of Ajaj’s car
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