After the fall of our neighbor-country regimes first in Tunisia followed by Egypt, the Libyan people arranged to go out in protests against 42 years of dictatorship. Thanks to Facebook, they set February 17th as the starting date for the demonstrations. In an attempt by the Gaddafi regime to prevent the February 17th protests, an attorney named Fathi Terbil was arrested on February 15th fearing that he would lead the demonstrations in Benghazi. This lawyer is the coordinator of the families of the victims of the Abu Saleem prison where 1200 innocent prisoners were massacred on the same night and no one knows where their bodies are. So, after the arrest of Terbil, families who have members murdered in this prison went out protesting against his arrest on February 15th and said “Wake up Benghazi, the day that you have been waiting for has come!” And yes Benghazi woke up and people sprung into the streets peacefully protesting. By that time all the eastern part of Libya; Al-Marij, Al-Bida, Derna, Shahat, Tobrik as well as Ajdabia responded at once to Benghazi’s call and broke into the streets protesting against this regime. Al-Gaddafi immediately started the war on his own people by sending mercenaries from Africa and Eastern Europe, as well as his sons’ militias. Heavy weapons were used against unarmed people. Many were killed and this continued until they took command of his military barrack in Benghazi. This was a very harsh battle where many lost their lives. The protesters were unarmed. To defend themselves, they used sticks, stones, and bottles filled with gas which they threw on the military barrack. It took days until this barrack was defeated. One of the protesters Mahdi Zew who many said was a kind man in his forties loaded his car with kitchen gas cylinders and drove it into the barrack. His brave sacrifice helped in destroying two walls of the barrack. However, it was not over until the Libyan army battalion of Benghazi under the General Abdul Fatah Younis joined the February 17th uprising and assisted in the complete fall of this barrack. When Benghazians went inside, they found many people from the military who refused to follow the orders to shoot their own people, were executed right away. Many were murdered in the East, but they were able to defeat the mercenaries. Benghazians still keep protesting in front of the courthouse which faces the Mediterranean Sea. This area in front of the courthouse where people gather is called Maidan Al-Tahrir (Liberty Square)- named after the square that witnessed the Egyptian revolution in Cairo one month earlier.
At the same time where people were being murdered in the East, a city called Al-Zentan in the west of Libya went into the streets saying “We would sacrifice our souls and blood for you oh Benghazi!”, and “Down with Gaddafi, down with Gaddafi, no more fear oh Zenta!". Al-Gaddafi started his war on them immediately and many were murdered. Then, he offered an amount of money for each resident of this city in order to stay homes, but they refused. Eventually, other western cities went out demonstrating in Al-Zawia, Misrata, as well as some areas in the capital. But Gaddafi’s reaction was very harsh. He used mercenaries as well as air strikers. During this time, he sent jet fighters several times and ship battles in order to strike the East, but their pilots defected and went for political asylum in Malta and Egypt.
Libya FIRST Protest in Benghazi pm Tuesday, February, 15, 2011:
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