On Thursday, the U.S. Embassy in Libya and the United National Support Mission to Libya (UNSMIL) condemned the unlawful detention of Mohamed Baaio, head of the Media Corporation, affiliated to the Government of National Accord (GNA).
The embassy reaffirmed American support for the rule of law in Libya and the protection of journalists and all Libyans in their right to freedom of expression.
On the other hand, the UNSMIL called for his immediate and unconditional release of the GNA's official.
The UNSMIL warned that this latest round of "arbitrary arrests" highlights the risks journalists take to promote the right to freedom of expression in Libya.
It also called for the need to respect the rule of law and reiterates that media freedom is critical to Libya’s democratic transition. The right to freedom of expression and the protection of journalists and media workers must be guaranteed.
On Tuesday evening, Baaio was kidnapped in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, by a GNA-affiliated armed group, known as the Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade (TRB).
A number of accounts on social media platforms circulated a picture of Baaio being kept inside the Brigade’s headquarters after he was kidnapped from his house in the Al-Sabaa area of Tripoli. Meanwhile, other sources revealed that the TRB commander, Ayoub Abu Ras, was behind the kidnapping of Baaio and his two sons.
Baaio had also announced prior to his kidnapping that he had received threats made by Ayoub Abu Ras for having referred Suleiman Dougha to an investigation on charges of misappropriating and embezzling 35 million dinars, in addition to combating corruption in media bodies.
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