Two Nigerians Arrested in Libya Over Alleged Inflammatory Social Media Content

(The suspects. Photo Credit: Punch News)

Two Nigerians were detained by security forces in Tripoli, Libya’s seaside town of Qarabouli, on suspicion of disseminating inflammatory content on social media.

The Libya Observer reported on Wednesday that the suspects were arrested for allegedly disseminating movies and other internet content that police claimed had a “inciting nature” and encouraged criminal conduct and bloodshed.

According to the statement, the content was deemed illegal in Libya and endangered stability and public safety.

Authorities attested to the formal charges against both parties and the completion of the judicial process.

Since then, the Public Prosecution Office has been tasked with looking into them further and perhaps prosecuting them in accordance with Libyan criminal legislation.

Although the suspects’ identities were not immediately made public, the case raises more worries about Libya’s use of social media, as the country’s authorities have recently increased their monitoring of online information that they believe poses a threat to national security.