On Thursday, Libyan singer Ramadan Salem Bil-Raheem, known by his stage name of ‘Maniglesias’ has been kidnapped in Tripoli by an unidentified armed group.
According to local sources, the singer was taken hours after he participated in the 17 February Revolution’s 10th anniversary celebrations last night. The kidnapping of Salem has sparked widespread outrage on social media, with demands for his immediate release, and calls to end enforced disappearances.
Kidnapping has become commonplace in Libya, as the war-torn country descended into chaos following the 2011 civil war. On 20 October, the Head of the Libyan Media Office, Mohamed Baio was kidnapped by the Tripoli Revolutionaries Brigade (TRB) and freed after a few days following widespread calls for his release.