Tripoli, 3 January 2014:
The UK has called on the Libyan Government to carry out a thorough investigation into the murder of . . .[restrict]British and New Zealand nationals shot dead on a beach near Sabratha.
“Our Chargé d’Affaires has raised the shooting with the Libyan authorities and we are liaising closely with them on follow-up,” the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) said today in a statement. “We call upon the Libyan Government to carry out a thorough investigation into this tragic incident and to continue to do all it can to bring to justice the perpetrators of this appalling crime, as it strives to build strong rule of law in Libya.”
The bodies of the 49 year-old man and 47 year-old woman were found yesterday on a beach near Sabratha. An image circulated on social media networks which suggested that they had been shot while picnicking on the beach.
Both the FCO and the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade confirmed the deaths of a British and New Zealand national to the Libya Herald today.
“We are working closely with British consular staff who have travelled from Tripoli to Sabratha,” a spokesperson for the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said. “The exact circumstance of their deaths is not yet clear and will be subject to an investigation by the Libyan authorities.”
The New Zealand national, understood to be the woman, normally lived in New Zealand and was visiting Libya, he said. The family had requested privacy and asked that no further details be released, he added.
The FCO confirmed that the family of the Briton had been informed and that officials were providing full consular support in both Libya and the UK. [/restrict]
