Abdelbasset Abu Mzeirig
Human rights lawyer Abdelbasset Abu Mzeirig, who was the voice of Misrata during the revolution, has been killed in a car crash while driving to Tripoli. Fellow laywer Azeddin Sebega was also killed in the accident which occurred this morning on the coastal highway near Dafniya.
No other vehicle is believed to have been involved in the accident. According to sources in Misrata, the car in which the two were travelling crashed into a street post at high speed. It is thought that the driver lost control.
Abu Mzeirig had been arrested but later released by the Qaddafi regime. During the siege of Misrata during the revolution he was the media spokesman for the city, the first to speak out using his own name and showing his face to the cameras. As a result he became one of the most wanted people by the regime during early days of the revolution.
He then acted as the deputy to the Minster of Justice Mohamed Allagi in the government of Mahmoud Jibril appointed by the National Transitional Council.
Hundreds of Misratans attended his funeral this afternoon after Asr prayers, among them lawyers, civic and social leaders and colleagues during the revolution, especially those who had been involved in the media. It took place at the Sheikh Mohamed Mosque in the city, outside which had occurred the first protests that triggered the 2011 uprising in the city.
Abdelbasset Abu Mzeirig’s funeral in Misrata today (Photo: Social media)
