Addressing leaders of the African continent meeting in Libya, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan announced the launch of a new initiative to financially support States undergoing the democratization process. Mr. Annan told the African Union (AU) Summit in Sirte that the new UN Democracy Fund will provide assistance to countries seeking to establish or strengthen their democracy. "A number of Member States have already indicated their intention to contribute," he said, voicing hope that others would follow their example.

The Committee to Protect Journalists, an independent organization of journalists dedicated to defending press freedom around the world, has written to the Libyan authorities to express its shock and grave concern about the apparent murder of Libyan journalist Dayf al-Ghazal al-Shuhaibi, a former journalist for the government-owned daily Azahf al-Akhdar and contributor to the London-based Web sites Libya Alyoum and Libya Jeel. Al-Ghazal's body was found in Benghazi, his hometown, on or about June 2 after he went missing from his home on May 21, according to several sources. Justice Minister Ali Hasnaoui said al-Ghazal was shot in the head and the death was being investigated as a murder, according to international press reports.

Reporters sans frontières (RSF) has called for the release of cyber-dissident Abdel Razak Al Mansouri, whose arrest on 12 January 2005 has just been reported. He criticised the Libyan government on a United Kingdom (UK)-based website. There has been no word of him since his detention. "The authorities already control all the traditional media and now they are trying to gag the Internet, the last window on the outside world still accessible to Libyan citizens. This is a major blow for human rights activists who have found the Internet to be an effective tool for gathering and disseminating information," RSF said.