On 19 September, Foreign Policy published an article by Stefanie Glinski under the title ‘Eastern Libya’s Rulers Crack Down on Protests—Not Shoddy Infrastructure’. In her article, Glinski reports on the eastern authorities’ crackdown on foreign journalists covering the Derna floods. According to Glinski, who was present at the scene and questioned by the Libyan National Army’s (LNA) intelligence unit, journalists were initially welcomed and assisted by the LNA’s media unit, but this ‘short window of opportunity’ was soon ‘slammed shut by suspicion and fear’. The journalists were then subjected to harassment and detention, with the authorities asking them to delete photos and interrupting their live broadcasts. Glinski attributes this response partly to ‘the army wanting to control the narrative and keep negative reports at bay; another part certainly was fear’.
Read the full article here.