TRIPOLI – Libya’s Prime Minister, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, announced last week the formation of a governmental committee for “media reform”, which would be led by a minister with a history of running media channel that promoted hate speech and extremism.
Walid Al-Lafi, the interim government’s minister for communication and political affairs, was previously a director of Al-Nabaa TV. Launched in 2013, the Turkey-based TV channel became known in Libya for giving a platform to members of various extremist militias such as Ansar Al-Sharia, the Benghazi Defense Brigades, Benghazi Shura Revolutionary Council and Derna Mujahideen Shura Council.
Al-Lafi’s dubious relationship with extremists has been the center of a legal investigation by the Libyan Public Prosecution after the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime. An investigation memorandum leaked to the press revealed that Al-Lafi is suspected to be involved in a number of corruption, financial extortion, support for terrorism, and arms smuggling cases during 2012-2019.
The declared objective of the newly-formed Media Reform Committee is to engage with stakeholders and develop proposals to reform the media in Libya. However, the decision to allow Al-Lafi run the committee raised fears that the position would be exploited to polish the tarnished image of extremists and affect the future of media in Libya.