Libya bid farewell for 7 years ago, on May 26, 2014, the journalist Moftah Bouzid, who was murdered in broad daylight with three bullets in the head, the abdomen and the left hand.
On that day, Libyans were distressed by the assassination of Bouzid, who was then editor-in-chief of the “Burniq” newspaper, by gunmen while he was driving near the Tibesti Hotel in Benghazi.
Moftah Bouzid was born on January 26, 1964 in the city of Benghazi, where he grew up and graduated from its university, specifically the Department of Political Science in the Faculty of Economics. He previously headed the column of accidents at the Qurina newspaper, and in 2011 he became the third editor-in-chief of Burniq newspaper.
The late journalist was known for his defense of the state’s civility and his opposition to extremists and militants who were tightening their grip on the city of Benghazi and perched on the issuance of its residents during that period that witnessed the most violent wave of assassinations and repression in Libya since the outbreak of the February 17 revolution.
What distinguished Bouzid from others and made him a precise and urgent target is his courage, so it became a symbol and a platform threatening extremist organizations that have found a place in Libya.
Although he received threats a few days before his assassination, he did not leave the country within 24 hours, Bouzid chose to continue his fight against extremism until the last moment.
After 7 years of the crime, the perpetrators have not been revealed, and no official action has been taken to do justice to Bouzid in light of the conditions in the country.
His murder caused angry internal and external reactions, as Libyan writers, journalists and organizations condemned it, as well as Reporters Without Borders and the United Nations Mission in Libya, which called on the Libyan authorities to immediately investigate this terrorist act and to arrest the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
