By Farah Waleed.
Tripoli, 20 May 2014:
Ten members of staff of the Public Officials Standards Commission (POSC) who were abducted on Sunday . . .[restrict]when gunmen, said to be from the Qaaqaa brigade attacked Congress and its offices, are still missing.
The head of the POSC, Hilal Senussi, says he holds the kidnappers responsible for the safety of his staff. He has not heard anything about where they are being held or in what conditions.
He himself was in Benghazi at the time of the attack – and is still there, unable to return to Tripoli because of Benina Airport being closed.
During the attack, one of the POSC’s two buildings in the General National Congress’ compound across the road from its debating chamber was also set on fire.
It is believed that the POSC was targeted deliberately once the attackers got into the compound.
The organisation was set up last year to implement the Political Isolation Law which Congress passed after what was widely seen as an intimidation campaign by revolutionaries, Islamists and elements said to be connected to the Muslim Brotherhood. Its role is to investigate public officials to see if they had a significant role in the Qaddafi regime or in propagating its ideas and disbar them from public office for ten years if they did.
The Isolation Law is passionately supported by many in Libya but equally detested by others, either because they or their colleagues have been personally affected or because they believe it to be a barrier to national reconciliation.
Without staff and part of its offices destroyed, the POSC is now unable to operate and may well remain out of action for some time after its staff are freed. [/restrict]
