Interior Minister, Fathi Bashagha has been suspended and ordered to appear for administrative investigation within three days from the date of the suspension, the PC said in a statement on Friday.
The PC suspended Bashagha on Friday on the backdrop of his handling of the demonstrations that took place in the capital Tripoli and some other cities during the past week, and “his failure to protect protesters from a violent crackdown.”
“He will be questioned on the permits granted to the demonstrators, the security arrangements in place, and the violations committed”, the PC statement said.
The Undersecretary of the Interior Ministry, Brigadier Khaled Mazen has been assigned to take over the ministry’s duties, granting him all the sovereign and administrative powers as well as competencies entrusted to a minister.
Bashagha tweeted out on his account that the security interaction in dealing with the recent protests has “sowed panic among the population and threatened security and public order.”
His statements sparked controversy in the domestic political circles, as some politicians demanded Bashagha’s dismissal or his resignation due to his clear opposition to the government’s policy, as they put it.
Others called for reconciling divergent views, saying that the war of words would only benefit the “aggressor” against Tripoli, referring to Khalifa Haftar.