Ahmad 
The Libyan security services in the city of Tripoli arrested a foreign seller on charges of promoting toys decorated with symbols expressing homosexuality.
The arrest was based on investigations that showed that the seller was distributing kites and plastic handles bearing the colors and slogans associated with symbols of homosexuality in the Martyrs’ Square area.
Reports issued by the Tripoli Security Directorate on its official Facebook page indicated that the authorities confiscated 249 kites and 255 plastic handles.
While the store owner stated that the aforementioned toys were part of imports brought from China three years ago.
The seller and the store owner were handed over to the Al-Gharbi Police Station, which is responsible for looking into this case, where all necessary legal measures were taken to deal with the incident.
Promoting homosexuality or engaging in same-sex sexual activities in Libya is considered a crime punishable by law. According to the Libyan Penal Code of 1953, homosexual activities are criminalized under the names “obscene acts” and “illicit intercourse,” and are punishable by imprisonment for up to five years. .
There were not many documented cases of these laws being strictly implemented, especially during Gaddafi’s rule. After the Libyan revolution in 2011, cases of arrests and violence against LGBT people by armed groups increased. For example, in January 2023, eight people were arrested. Charged with sodomy by the General Administration for Combating Criminal Activities.
Analysis – The Libyan Elections and the Uneasy Balance