Pro-government protesters rally against gunmen who have taken control of two ministries in the capital, in front of the Libyan Prime Minister's residence, in Tripoli. Armed militia in pick-up trucks mounted with anti-aircraft guns and rocket-launchers have been in control of the Foreign Ministry since April 28, 2013, and on April 30 also surrounded Libya's Justice Ministry. The placard in the middle reads as “Yes for peaceful isolation”, in support of a “political isolation law”, banning officials who worked for deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi from senior government posts. – Reuters Umar Khan
TRIPOLI – Negotiations have been taking place for the third consecutive day between revolutionaries supporting the Political Isolation Law and Prime Minister Ali Zidan over the sieges at a number of government ministries. According to the revolutionaries and a senior government official, the prime minister has offered to appoint six ministers named by them and promised to remove anybody that falls under the Isolation Law, once it is passed. However, the negotiations have so far failed. It is because the revolutionaries have upped the pressure with calls for the removal of the prime minister, sources said. If no agreement is reached between the two, revolutionaries say they want the General National Congress to appoint a new prime minister. Outside the negotiations room, both sides have been trying to rally support behind them with public demonstrations. The call for today's demonstration came after two consecutive days of small demonstrations in the city's Algeria Square against the surrounding of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the assaults on other ministries by brigades. The political isolation law supporters have been keeping up the pressure with regular demonstrations in Martyrs' Square while revolutionaries supporting the law continue to surround the ministries. The latter currently surrounding the Foreign Affairs Ministry belong to brigades from various towns and cities, including Misurata, Azzawiya, Kikla, Nalut and Tripoli. They are demanding Congress pass and implement the much-talked Isolation Law that would stop Gaddafi-era officials from holding any high-level positions. There have been several demonstrations in Martyrs' Square asking Congress to pass the law and a permanent tent supporting the law that has been in Martyrs Square for months serves as the rallying point for supporters of this controversial law. The first call for the isolation law came in September 2011, after the liberation of Tripoli when the revolutionaries, after a conference, issued a statement asking for a “new Libya to be led by new faces”. Congress is set to vote on the Isolation law on Sunday. However, the largest bloc, the National Forces Alliance of former prime minister Mahmoud Jibril, has threatened to boycott sessions if they are not moved to eastern Libya because of security concerns. They have also threatened to withdraw permanently if force is used to intimidate members into voting for the law. – Libya Herald
