Timeline
Date | Event |
---|---|
September 1, 1969 | Libyan coup d’état |
April 7, 1976 | Student’s Revolution |
April 7, 1977 | Students Hung in Public Square in Benghazi |
According to a National Front for the Salvation of Libya (NFSL) statement Hafed al-Madani and Rasheed Kaabar were publicly executed at Tripoli University on Sunday, four years after they had been arrested in student protests.
The executions come just after the April 7th, 1976 holiday. April 7th is commemorated every year in Libya as the anniversary of when the Gaddafi regime claimed victory over university students who were protesting the government in Tripoli and Benghazi. Jailed student protesters were accused of being American agents, members of political parties, or terrorists.
As part of the holiday celebrations, secondary students march and practice drills in the squares of Tripoli and Benghazi. Since 1977, the regime has also commemorated the Student’s Revolution each April by publicly executing students who oppose the government, sometimes after being arrested for years without trial.