Armed group abduct Libyan lawmaker in Benghazi

By Walid Abdullah

TRIPOLI, Libya (AA) - An armed group abducted a Libyan lawmaker in Benghazi city, according to local media reports.

Lawmaker Seham Sergewa was abducted when an armed group stormed her home in the eastern Libyan city on Wednesday.

The Presidential Council of the Tripoli-seated Government of National Accord (GNA) expressed late Wednesday its deep concern over the abduction of Sergewa by "the militias in Benghazi" in reference to East Libya-based forces led by commander Khalifa Haftar.

"This crime is a natural result of the absence of law, and the lack of public freedoms in areas controlled by the military ruler and his aides," the council said in a statement, demanding the whereabouts of the MP.

The Council also called on the UN and international organizations to intervene quickly to release the abducted woman and to hold the perpetrators and those responsible for the security of Benghazi accountable and brought to justice.

Libya has remained beset by turmoil since 2011 when a bloody NATO-backed uprising led to the ouster and death of long-serving President Muammar Gaddafi after more than four decades in power.

Since then, the country’s stark political divisions have yielded two rival seats of power -- one in Tobruk and another in Tripoli -- and a host of heavily armed militia groups.

*Writing by Mahmoud Barakat