By Ahmed Elumami.
Tripoli, 10 January 2014:
Three members of the General National Congress (GNC) from Benghazi were prevented from travelling to Tripoli . . .[restrict]yesterday, as was a diplomat.
The Congressmen involved were Mohamed Khalil Al-Zarooq, Abdulrahman Al-Debani and Ali Refai Zubi, all of whom had intended to travel to Tripoli for the first GNC sitting of the week. They were stopped, however, by airport security who said Congress no longer had legitimacy after its original mandate expired on 7 February.
“I was prevented from leaving Benghazi by security members who said because I was a Congressman I did not have the right to travel to Tripoli,” Zubi told this paper. He added that he did not argue with the security and just returned home.
In a case of mistaken identity, the Libyan ambassador to Uganda, Fawzi Bukatif was also prevented from boarding a plane by security at Benina Airport.
Bukatif, the former commander of 17 February Brigade, was mistakenly thought to be a Congressman. He was held for several hours before his identity was established and he was released.
GNC spokesperson Omar Hemidan confirmed to the Libya Herald that three Congressmen from Benghazi had difficulties at Benina Airport yesterday. “They were prevented from leaving by airport security,” Hemidan said. The reason given, he said was because they were Congress members.
Hemidan said that the GNC security office had boosted security around the Congress headquarters after some members had received death threats if they did not resign. [/restrict]
