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Libya: GNA Interior Minister Suspended after Shooting

Demonstrators gather during an anti-government protest in Tripoli, Libya, August 25, 2020. REUTERS/Hazem
Demonstrators gather during an anti-government protest in Tripoli, Libya, August 25, 2020. REUTERS/Hazem
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Libya: GNA Interior Minister Suspended after Shooting

Demonstrators gather during an anti-government protest in Tripoli, Libya, August 25, 2020. REUTERS/Hazem
Demonstrators gather during an anti-government protest in Tripoli, Libya, August 25, 2020. REUTERS/Hazem

Libya's Government of National Accord (GNA) has suspended the interior minister after militia gunmen fired on a peaceful demonstration last week.

"Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha has been temporarily suspended" and will face an inquiry "on his statements about the protests and incidents in Tripoli and other cities", the GNA said Friday.

He will be questioned on the authorizations and permits granted to the demonstrators, the security arrangements in place and the "violations committed", it said.

Demonstrations began on Sunday in Tripoli, the seat of the GNA, against poor public services and living conditions, and gunmen fired on the crowd. Similar shootings occurred on Monday and Wednesday.

At the time, Bashagha accused “outlawed infiltrators” of firing at the protesters on Sunday and said an investigation was opened. Bashaga later acknowledged that a Tripoli-allied militia fired live ammunition at peaceful demonstrators. He said in a statement early Thursday that a militia, which he did not name, opened fire and abducted some of the protesters.

At least six people were kidnapped from a Tripoli district by a militia overseen by the GNA, and many others were wounded, according to Human Rights Watch.

Bashagha said in a statement posted on the interior ministry's Facebook page early on Saturday that he was ready to submit to an investigation.

But he demanded any hearing be broadcast live for the sake of transparency.

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SOHR: Document Reveals Assad Family Smuggled Millions to Moscow

The historic Hotel Ukraina in central Moscow (Wikipedia)
The historic Hotel Ukraina in central Moscow (Wikipedia)
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SOHR: Document Reveals Assad Family Smuggled Millions to Moscow

The historic Hotel Ukraina in central Moscow (Wikipedia)
The historic Hotel Ukraina in central Moscow (Wikipedia)

A confidential document obtained by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has revealed massive money smuggling operations carried out via Syrian Airlines to Moscow.
The operations are described as among the most corrupt financial transfers orchestrated by the now-defunct Syrian regime.
According to the document, the majority of the funds stem from profits made through the production and trade of Captagon, a highly lucrative illicit drug.
The head of SOHR, Rami Abdel Rahman, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the most recent transfer took place just four days before Syrian President Bashar al-Assad fled to Moscow in December of last year.
Rami Abdel Rahman also affirmed that the leaked document underscores the “deep involvement of the former Syrian regime in illegal activities.”
He added that further investigations could uncover a vast network of secret financial operations used to transfer large sums of money from Syria to Russia and other countries under official cover and without oversight.
“The regime, led by the ousted Assad and his brother, spearheaded drug-related investments, particularly through the production, promotion, and export of Captagon,” Abdel Rahman told Asharq Al-Awsat.
He explained that one key route involved a small port near the Afamia chalets on Syria's coast, which previously belonged to Rifaat al-Assad, the brother of late former President Hafez al-Assad.
From there, shipments were sent via smugglers to Italian ports, where collaborating traders distributed the drugs globally.
A Syrian source based in Russia, closely monitoring the regime’s activities and investments there, said the content of the leaked document is not new but that its official confirmation adds weight to prior claims.
“Western media had previously reported on the regime’s money-smuggling operations, which led to some loyalists being added to international sanctions lists, particularly regime-linked businessmen like Mudalal Khouri,” the source, who requested anonymity, told Asharq Al-Awsat.
Sanctions were also imposed on individuals accused of money laundering for the regime.
The source confirmed that the operations were conducted using Syrian Airlines flights to Moscow.
“There were dozens of such flights, each loaded with hard currency—mostly US dollars and €500 euro notes,” the source said.
The money was reportedly delivered directly from the airport to the Syrian regime's embassy in Moscow, where it was distributed to loyalist businessmen.
These funds were then invested in Russian and Belarusian banks, real estate, and commercial properties. Some of the money was also used to establish companies in both countries.
The operations were allegedly overseen by Mohammed Makhlouf, the maternal uncle of Assad.