Mohammed "Mo" Nabbous was a
Libyan blogger and
civilian journalist died after he was shot he was , 28,.
In the wake of the
2011 Libyan civil war, he founded
Libya Alhurra TV, the first private television station established in territory controlled by the
National Transitional Council.
[1]
He was killed on 19 March 2011 while reporting on
attempts by government forces to fight rebels in Benghazi.
[2] In the last weeks of his life he focused on bringing international attention to the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Libya. His death was widely reported by
CNN and various media outlets.
( 27 February 1983 – 19 March 2011) |
Background
Born in
Benghazi in 1983, Nabbous graduated from
Garyounis University, with a Degree in Mathematics and Computing. He completed his education of Network and Computing, including postgraduate studies, in Benghazi, Libya.
[3]
A member of Nabbous' family, aged 17, was cited as one of the first casualties of the February 17 protests in Benghazi.
[4] Nabbous' wife Perdita was pregnant with the couple's first child at the time of his death.
Work in media
NPR social media strategist
Andy Carvin called Nabbous "the face of Libyan citizen journalism;" Nabbous was the primary contact of many international media outlets looking for information regarding the situation in
Libya.
[5][6] Nabbous founded and ran the internet division of
Libya Alhurra TV.
Der Spiegel reporter Clemens Höges called Nabbous "the man who just might be the most important person in the revolution."
[7]
Libya Alhurra TV was the only broadcast coming out of Benghazi when
Muammar Gaddafi shut down internet lines when the
2011 Libyan civil war began.
[7] Nabbous was able to bypass government blocks on internet in order to broadcast live images from Benghazi across the world. On March 10, 2011, the Washington Post reported that the US Broadcasting Board of Governors (which includes Hillary Clinton) and the US State Department were funding tech firms that helped political dissidents in Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia communicate through the internet, while evading government censors.
[8]
Work with Libya Alhurra TV
On February 19, 2011, in the first live broadcast from war-torn Benghazi after the Libyan revolution began, Nabbous declared, "I am not afraid to die, I am afraid to lose the battle."
[9] This statement resonated across the internet, and was subsequently used in other videos and broadcasts about events happening in Libya.
Libya Alhurra TV included nine cameras streaming 24 hours a day since the channel’s creation February 17.
[10] As Libya Alhurra TV's communications became more sophisticated, Nabbous was able to take cameras with him to different parts of Benghazi in order to capture the destruction and carnage caused by mortars and shelling up-close.
Over the last few days and hours of his life, Nabbous continued reporting. Streaming over Libya Alhurra TV, Nabbous was able to share live video and provide commentary regarding the bombing of the Benghazi power station and fuel tank explosion on March 17, the firing of missiles on Benghazi from near-by city
Sultan on March 18, the attacks on civilians and consequent destruction in the morning of March 19, and the death of two young victims: 4 month-old and 5 year-old children killed in their bedroom by a missile launched in the morning of March 19.
[citation needed] These images and reports were broadcast over the internet, and later rebroadcast by international media outlets such as
Al Jazeera English, thereby offering an eyewitness account of the events on the ground relevant to
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.
[1]
Death
Nabbous is believed to have been killed by forces loyal to Libyan leader
Muammar Gaddafi in Benghazi while reporting on the claims of a cease-fire made by the Gaddafi regime in response to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.
[11][12] Nabbous was allegedly shot in the head by a
sniper soon after exposing the Gaddafi regime's false reports related to the cease-fire declaration; sitting in the back of a truck, he was using a mobile phone to record audio of the then-ongoing violence, and the audio recording cut off at the estimated time of the assault. Nabbous was in critical condition until he died around 3 p.m.
CET. Nabbous' wife announced his death in a video on Libya Alhurra TV.
[13]
Reactions
News of Nabbous' death elicited strong reactions from members of journalistic organizations and personalities:
- "He touched the hearts of many with his bravery and indomitable spirit. He will be dearly missed and leaves behind his young wife and unborn child", said Sharon Lynch, Libya Alhurra TV station representative and colleague of Nabbous.[1]
- Bilal Randeree, journalist for Al Jazeera[14]
- Don Lemon, CNN reporter who interviewed Nabbous on February 19, and Arwa Damon, CNN correspondent based in Benghazi, paid tribute to Nabbous on March 20.[15] He was billed as a CNN contributor, and had interviewed Ben Wedeman on February 26.[16]
- Ben Wedeman, CNN reporter tweeted on March 19: "Mohammed Nabbous was one of the courageous voices from Benghazi broadcasting to the world from the beginning. Smart, selfless, brave."[17]
- Andy Carvin, NPR's senior product manager for online communities: "[A]ll of a sudden, as Benghazi was trying to free itself from Gadhafi, you started hearing voices coming over the Internet and one of those first voices to come out was Mo"...Nabbous, Andy says, used Libya Alhurra TV to become "their local equivalent of Radio Free Europe or Voice of America, where he was trying to get the world to hear their point of view of what was going on. And as he did that, he basically became a reporter or even an anchor."[18]
- UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova: "I condemn the killing of Mohammed al-Nabbous [sic], who was killed while fulfilling his professional duty of informing citizens about the dramatic events taking place in Libya".[19]
- Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) Abdel Dayem: "We send our condolences to the family and friends of our colleague Mohammad al-Nabbous [sic]."[20]
- International Press Institute (IPI) Press Freedom Manager Anthony Mills: “Our condolences go out to the wife, family, and colleagues of Mohammed al-Nabous [sic].”[21]
Legacy
"I want to let all of you to know that Mohammad has passed away for this cause. He died for this cause, and let's hope that Libya will become free," Nabbous' wife said through tears. "Please keep the channel going, please post videos, and just move every authority you have to do something against this. There's still bombing, there's still shooting, and more people are going to die. Don't let what Mo started go for nothing, people. Make it worth it," she urged everyone assisting the network and the Libya cause.
[2]
Nabbous was perceived as the face of the Libyan revolution and was one of the first people to be interviewed by western journalists soon after Benghazi was liberated by Libyan opposition forces. According to the
Guardian, Nabbous was described as the "face of citizen journalism" in Libya.
[11] "I am not afraid to die, I am afraid to lose the battle!"
[22] was one of Nabbous' early declarations on February 19, 2011 following the establishment of the channel. "That's why I want the media to see what's going on."
[22]
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Thomas John McAvoy was a pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Washington Senators in 1959. Listed at 6' 3", 200 lb., he batted and threw left handed died he was , 74.. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.[1]
McAvoy was a player whose baseball career, statistically speaking, was only slightly different than that of Eddie Gaedel or Moonlight Graham and can be loosely desribed as a cup of coffee. He debuted against the Boston Red Sox on September 27, 1959, at Fenway Park as a replacement for starter Jim Kaat in the second inning, scattering one hit and two walks without strikeouts over 2⅔ shutout innings and did not have a decision. In that game, McAvoy retired Ted Williams on a grounder to second base.[2]
