From QunFuz.com.
Robin Yassin-Kassab, whose pieces on Egypt and Syria have recently appeared in the Guernica Daily, has been receiving information about the situation in Libya from a friend in Tripoli who remains nameless for her own safety. Below is her latest report.
Right after Friday prayers, people started to leave the mosque which is a two-minute walk from my building. I could hear that gunfire had already started in another area before the people finished their prayers. As the peaceful protestors left the mosque, they started to chant: “La Ellaha Ela ALLAH, Qaddafi Adouaa Allah”—“There is no god but God, Qaddafi is the enemy of God.” The moment I saw that scene I was so happy, proud, and speechless!
The gunfire in my area, and in Souk Jomaa, Mayzaran, Siyahiya, Dahra and elsewhere, was random and didn’t stop until around 5 pm.
A short time after the protestors passed by my street, an open car with 5 armed thugs parked in front of my building. They opened fire in the air, and then one of them said loudly, “Whoever doesn’t like Qaddafi, get out of your house now!” Then he said, “As long as you stay inside your homes you will be safe, and whoever comes out will be immediately killed.”
While I was witnessing this terrifying moment, I slowly opened my window and took 2 quick pictures of them; unfortunately I failed to take a video because they were many and armed and their eyes were wide open around the whole street, and above all they were in front of my building.
I have received confirmed information that Qaddafi’s thugs are abducting injured people from Tripoli’s hospitals and transporting them to unknown locations.
The world needs to know that what’s happening in Libya is no longer a response to protest; it’s genocide. Qaddafi’s forces shoot civilians from ambulances using anti-aircraft guns! People are struggling against heavy weapons with stones. And now Qaddafi has once again showed up with more bloodcurdling threats to turn Libya into “embers of fire.”
Now Qaddafi is making efforts to bribe the unified tribes and corrupt the cities (especially Zawiya and Misurata) with billions of dollars. He is still delusional that his filthy endeavors will work to gain back his full power over Libya and its courageous Libyans. Qaddafi yesterday told his foolish backers to “sing and dance and get ready to face the fight!”
Thank you, Mr. Colonel (and your son Saif). Now the whole world knows who is mentally affected with the drugs you constantly talk about in your lame speeches. Well, I too would like to see singing and dancing in the streets of Tripoli and all Libya, and I intend to dance myself, when my country gets rid of you.
I have received confirmed information that Qaddafi’s thugs are abducting injured people from Tripoli’s hospitals and transporting them to unknown locations. They also kidnap the bodies of the martyrs, either from the streets or the hospitals, to hide every trace of Qaddafi and his sons’ massacres. Saif Qaddafi said to the press, “Soon you will discover that all that you heard about Libya regarding the number of deaths was a big joke.” My friend told me that the families no longer put the bodies of their martyrs in the hospitals; they keep them in their houses and use fans on them so they don’t decompose until they can bury them.
A few moments ago, I received a very emotional call from my friend telling me that one of the martyrs—who was shot in Tripoli protests and sadly died after some hours—said, “Tell my mother that if I die, I have died happily for my country.”
May the Martyrs of Libya rest in peace. And may the Revolution of February 17th prevail.
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This piece originally appeared at QunFuz.com.