Hifter’s 14-month campaign to capture Libya’s capital, Tripoli, in the west, from the rival Turkish-backed government collapsed earlier this year. When security agents looked through al-Zway’s cellphone upon his arrest, they discovered private messages expressing discontent with Hifter’s rule and criticizing the military command. He was swiftly spirited away to a military prison in Hifter’s stronghold of Benghazi, according to the Libyan Organization for Independent Media. Legal amendments passed in 2017 broadly empower east Libyan military courts to prosecute anyone suspected of supporting terrorism. A spokesman for Hifter's forces did not respond to requests for comment.

Source: International New York Times July 31, 2020 18:45 UTC