Early last March, on the same day the United Nations issued its report on violations against media in Libya, an unknown armed group attacked the headquarters of Alassema Channel in Tripoli, destructing its property, assaulting its staff, and kidnapping the channel’s board chairman, director general and two media men.

Early last March, on the same day the United Nations issued its report on violations against media in Libya, an unknown armed group attacked the headquarters of Alassema Channel in Tripoli, destructing its property, assaulting its staff, and kidnapping the channel’s board chairman, director general and two media men.

The assault severely damaged the headquarters of the channel affiliated with the National Forces Alliance (NFA) led by Dr. Mahmoud Jibril. The media men were released on the same day, while the chairman and the director general were released several days later.

Wide condemnation

The attack was widely condemned by all political parties and various media outlets. Minister of Information Youssef Sharif visited the channel’s headquarters, condemning what happened and saying, “You want the media to be a genuine actor, knowing that it speaks with a gun muzzle aiming at its throat!”

Former GNC member Hassan Amin, who was assigned with the human rights file, said, “The attacks against Libya Alhurra TV, then GNC and finally Alassema TV are a serious indication that some people do not want to build the state.”

 “Or, to be more honest,” Amin continued, “they still adopt the former regime’s culture.  They do not understand and comprehend what a civil state means and believe it may be anti-religion and will be an extrinsic object.”

Amin blamed the absence of the culture of democratic dialogue and freedom of expression and media, yet deeming it a natural thing that all countries experienced after the fall of dictatorial regimes. “Challenges are great, and denunciation and condemnation are not sufficient; we should thwart this conspiracy against the construction of the state,” he added.

Spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood Justice and Construction Party, the political rival of NFA, said, “We denounce and reject the attack on the media outlets like Alassema channel and others, and also the attacks on, and abduction of media men because we believe that freedom of expression is guaranteed for all media institutions after we were deprived of it for decades.”

“Some citizens’ acts against media violate the revolution’s principles and goals of freedom of media and expression. We need a media code of ethics since media is currently unregulated and it indirectly exploits the concept of freedom, leveling accusations without sufficient evidence,” he added.

Political isolation

The attack occurred amid an atmosphere of tug of war overwhelming the Libyan scene as a result of the political isolation draft law being discussed in the GNC sittings. Prior to the attack, GNC members were cordoned off during a sit-in to discuss the draft by protestors calling for its forcible approval.

It seems that the attackers targeted this channel particularly because of its attitude toward the law. Mahmoud Sharkassi, a presenter at the channel and one of the kidnapped, said, “What happened was because we tackled the issue of political isolation in one episode of my talk show, deeming it as an unjust decision for many figures because, unfortunately, a large number of the rebels does not differentiate between those who had worked for Gaddafi’s regime and those who had worked for the Libyan state.”

“The majority of the attackers were in their twenties. They caught us and took us to cars. They did not know what to do with us; they drove the car for hours and asked us several questions about the channel, its relation with Mahmoud Jibril, and its policies in general,” he explained.

However, he added, “I cannot say they belong to a certain trend or ideology since it is difficult to prove.”

“Everyone knows that Alassema TV is in one way or another against the political isolation law, especially those who broke into it. However, I believe the intruders are youth who realize neither their responsibility nor the importance and criticality of this stage. They are very simple people stirred by certain people adopting a certain cause that might be the political isolation or might have other dimensions,” his colleague Muhammad Huni said.

“The young men said the channel was working in favor of Mahmoud Jibril, and their questions focused on political isolation,” he added.

Huni regretted what he described as “an exploitation of those simple young men by a private agenda. Had I stayed two more hours, I would have changed their minds regarding the political isolation law,” he said while laughing.

Criticism

But despite the sympathetic campaigns supporting this channel after the attack, some criticized its performance. “I watched this channel for some time, especially when it was broadcasting from Tunisia, and I noticed that it was keen to show only one aspect, which was below cultivated viewers’ level. He who reads between the lines does not need much effort to recognize its course,” said Ramadan Shawish, a member of the political isolation coordination committee.

“In brief, I do not like this channel, but I do not blame them because I am convinced that everyone has a space of personal freedom through which he expresses his viewpoint. Accordingly, I do not want a media outlet to sneak into my personal freedom,” he added.

Shawish however condemned attacking any media outlet, saying, “There are many ways to communicate our thoughts to others away from violence and stultifying others’ views.”

Ahmad Shlak, the other journalist, believed that the channel was technically advanced and had a progressive discourse. He however said some of its media men were neither professional nor objective in terms of their media discourse which was provoking towards some citizens, particularly “the rebels whom it described as militias.”

“The channel’s discourse is not neutral and it tries to polish the image of some figures while defaming others, such as its fierce criticism on the Libyan Grand Mufti, Sheikh Sadik Gharyani,” he added.

However, he underlined respect of freedom of media and media men, deeming that any violations against their rights were violations against basic human right to knowledge and information.