Ahmad 
The medical center in the city of Tobruk, eastern Libya, announced on Wednesday the death of a 6-year-old girl, Aseel Tariq Al-Mabrouk, after she was subjected to severe beatings and brutal torture.
This incident sparked a wave of anger and shock among Libyans, especially since its details are still vague and the perpetrator has not yet been known, while suspicions are directed towards the stepmother.
The forensic report revealed that the child was severely beaten with a hard object in various parts of her body, and fractures, bruises and traces of cauterization with a hot metal object were found. She was subjected to suffocation, which led to a lack of oxygen in her body, and she suffered a nervous shock that claimed her life.
The local security authorities opened an investigation to uncover the circumstances of the crime. They summoned the child’s father, mother, and siblings, in addition to her stepmother, and listened to their statements without taking any reservations about any of them, which angered the mother and her family.
Activists denounced the crime, and the hashtag “Aseel Tariq’s murder” became the most widely circulated on social media, calling on the relevant authorities to expedite the arrest of the perpetrator and implement the death sentence.
Activist Tasneem Hawaz asked with amazement about the details of the crime, saying: “How can a stepmother’s child suffer to the point of death in the presence of her father and the matter passes as normal?”, calling for turning the crime into a public opinion issue and taking deterrent measures against the accused.
Other activists also wondered about the escalation of crimes in the country to the point of brutality, demanding the implementation of more stringent laws to combat violence and societal brutality. One of them wrote: “I do not understand the brutality that has exploded in Libya. The ruling must be implemented with a more stringent law, because its absence as now is the launch of societal brutality.”
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