Death Toll in Libya Protests Reaches 100

More than a dozen more were killed at funerals today
By John Johnson,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 19, 2011 5:13 PM CST
Death Toll in Libya Protests Reaches 100
Fifi Bnghze, right, and Tahani Buhlbuhlaioga, both from Libya, join protesters at the White House Saturday. Coverage of the protests in Libya is limited.   (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

In direct contrast to the "delirious joy" in Bahrain, the death toll keeps climbing in Libya's protests. Moammar Gadhafi's minions killed another 20 people today, bringing the five-day total to at least 104, says Human Rights Watch. Gadhafi has effectively shut off Internet service and forbid media coverage, but witnesses told AP of attacks by police and government loyalists wielding guns, knives, and even anti-aircraft missiles.

While the accounts are impossible to verify—and at least one puts the death toll closer to 200—a grim cycle has emerged, reports the New York Times: "Security forces fire on funeral marches, killing more protesters and creating more funerals." In Yemen, meanwhile, President Ali Abdullah Saleh's forces also opened fire on protesters, killing at least one, reports AP. (More Libya stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X