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LIBYA: Graphic videos alleged to depict killings of demonstrators

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Deadly protests continue to rock Libya. According to Human Rights Watch, Libyan security forces have killed 24 protesters at anti-government demonstrations during the past few days, and many others have been wounded in the spreading unrest in the North African country.

The organization said in a statement that hundreds of peaceful demonstrators had taken to the streets of the Libyan cities of Baida, Benghazi, Zenten, Derna, and Ajdabiya on Thursday, the the day opposition activists had called for an anti-government ‘Day of Rage’ on social networking sites. The human rights group, quoting several witnesses, said Libyan security forces shot and killed protesters to disperse the crowds.

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Most outside journalists have been denied entry to the country to compile independent reports. But graphic video footage from the ensuing violence in Libya have emerged on the Internet. Some of the clips are disturbing and depict scenes of mayhem with bloodied people lying in the streets, people shouting in desperation, and shots rattling the air.

The clip above is said to have been filmed in Libya on Thursday and shows a man lying in a pool of blood in the middle of the street. Some people are trying to help the man to get up on his feet but he appears too weak to stand. The caption on the video said it depicts protesters ‘shot by Libyan police.’

Below, another graphic video shows a group of people carrying a young man with a bloodied face as they chant ‘martyr’ in Arabic. The footage is claimed to have been shot in Benghazi during the reported violence there on Thursday. And here, a video said to have been filmed in Ajdabiya shows a man who allegedly has been shot at by security forces. Loud shots rattle throughout the duration of the video as crowds of people are seen out in the streets. Towards the end of the clip, shouts and screams are heard and the camera closes in on a crowd of people running towards a man who is lying on a lawn with blood all around him.

--Alexandra Sandels in Beirut

Video credit: YouTube

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