| Type | Online streaming viaLivestream LLC |
|---|---|
| Country | |
First air date | 19 February 2011 |
| Availability | Libya |
| Headquarters | Benghazi,Libya (from February 2011) |
Launch date | 19 February 2011 |
Official website | livestream |
| Language | Arabic andEnglish |
Libya Alhurra TV (Arabic:قناة ليبيا الحرة), meaningFree Libya TV, is an Internet television channel founded byMohamed Nabbous on 19 February 2011 at the start of theLibyan Civil War. It was the first private television station inBenghazi, in the east of thecountry.
The channel's purpose is to provide the world with news and exclusive on-ground footage from Benghazi during the civil war.
Libya Alhurra TV was the only TV broadcast from Benghazi whenMuammar Gaddafi shut down Internet lines as the war began.[1] (A rebel-controlledradio station,Voice of Free Libya, was also broadcasting from Benghazi at that time.) Alhurra TV was able to bypass government blocks on the Internet in order to broadcast live images from Benghazi across the world.
On 19 March 2011, Nabbous was killed by pro-Gaddafi troops during theSecond Battle of Benghazi. His wife Samra Naas announced his death on the same day and vowed to continue with the channel in his stead. Along with a remaining team member, the channel obtained, produced and broadcast[2]original contributions of raw footage from pro-opposition individuals both inside and outside the country.[3]
