Libya: The significance of 7 April; whether it is a day on which dissidents are hanged and if this practice has been in existence since 1970

Three sources consulted refer to 7 April as the day that a student's revolution took place in 1976 (PANA 8 Apr. 2001; Libyan TV 7 Apr. 2002; JNA 7 Apr. 2002).

The Panafrican News Agency (PANA) states that 7 April is the "anniversary of the revolution that transformed university and other institutions of higher learning into organs for the promotion of science, education and knowledge" (8 Apr. 2001). Celebrations are organized annually to "remember the day when the country decided to assert its national cultural heritage and Afro-Arab identity" (PANA 8 Apr. 2001).

Other sources explain that, on 7 April 1976, anti-Qadhafi student activists were holding "peaceful demonstrations" in major Libyan cities when student supporters of Qadhafi led a violent attack against the demonstrators at educational institutions in the cities of Tripoli and Benghazi (LOH 23 Mar. 1999; ibid., n.d.). The demonstrations were reportedly held to express students' concern with "the regime's human rights abuses and the control exerted by the military over all aspects of life in Libya" (ibid. 23 Mar. 1999). The Organizing Committee for the April Demonstration, writing in 1999, claimed that the students demanded the regime hold free and fair elections and transfer power to a civilian government (ibid.). In response, Qadhafi and his supporters "raid[ed]" the universities and secondary schools in order "to silence and eliminate" the protesters (LOH 23 Mar. 1999; ibid., n.d.). An article written by the Organizing Committee, which is available on the Libya: Our Home Web site, provides the following account of the aftermath:

Many students were detained for months and later released only to be re-arrested at the direct orders of Qadhafi, who wanted them imprisoned for life, if not executed. On April 7, 1977 the first anniversary of [the] 1976 events, several students like Omar Dabob and Muhammed Ben Sa-oud, were hanged in a public square in Benghazi. In that same week, a large number of military officers, who opposed Qadhafi's tyrannical rule, were hanged in their barracks in many towns across Libya while their friends and comrades were forced to take part in the execution either as participants or spectators.

The cycle of terror, collective punishment, harassment and the continuous degradation of the Libyan people became the trademark of Qadhafi's regime. Year after year since 1976, Qadhafi and his accomplices have used the date of April 7 to kill, hang, jail, and chase their opponents wherever they may be (23 Mar. 1999).

During a telephone interview, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Texas in San Antonio, who is also the author of Libya's Qaddafi: The Politics of Contradiction (1997), concurred with the Organizing Committee's description of events; however, the professor believes that the annual hangings have since stopped (3 Jan. 2002). In correspondence received from the professor on 7 January 2003, he states the following:

It has not been the practice of the regime since the late eighties to celebrate April 7 with public executions. At least not public[ly]. The regime does however use the opportunity [on] this day to remove what it considers as "non-revolutionary elements" from educational institutions. It does ... still execute individuals it considers to be a threat, but it does that at any time and doesn't wait until April 7.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Assistant professor of political science, University of Texas, San Antonio. 7 January 2003. Correspondence.

____. 3 January 2003. Telephone interview.

Jana News Agency (JNA) [Tripoli, in Arabic]. 7 April 2002. "Libya: Al-Qadhafi Says Anti-Israeli Demonstrations 'Gift' to Arab World." (BBC Worldwide Monitoring 7 Apr. 2002/NEXIS)

Libya: Our Home (LOH). 23 March 1999. "Long Live Libya." [Accessed 2 Jan. 2003]

_____. n.d. "7 April 1976." [Accessed 31 Dec. 2002]

Libyan TV [Tripoli, in Arabic]. 7 April 2002. "Libyan Leader Attacks US Middle East Policy, Arab Peace Initiative." (BBC Worldwide Monitoring 8 Apr. 2002/NEXIS).

Panafrican News Agency (PANA). 8 April 2001. "Libyan Students Observe Anniversary of Revolution." (Global News Wire/NEXIS)

Additional Sources Consulted

Europa World Factbook

Green and Black: Qadhafi's Policies in Africa

IRB Databases

Keesing's Record of World Events

Libya's Qaddafi: The Politics of Contradiction

NEXIS

Internet sites, including:

Africa Confidential

Africa Online

AllAfrica.com

Amnesty International (AI)

BBC Africa

European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI)

Human Rights Watch (HRW)

Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN)

Libyan League for Human Rights (LLHR)

The Libyan Union for Human Rights Defenders

The Middle East Network Information Centre (MENIC)

National Front for the Salvation of Libya

UK Home Office, Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND), Country Assessment: Libya

U.S. Department of State

World News.com

World News Connection (WNC)

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