BENGHAZI // Libya's rebels have launched their first homegrown satellite TV station in an attempt to counter the regime's powerful media machine.
Libya Alhurra, or "Free Libya," began broadcasting Monday night, a major step in the rebels' attempt to get its message to the Libyan public, whose main source of information on the crisis roiling their country has been Col Qaddafi's TV and radio.
Thousands of Libyans waving flags gathered in a public square in the rebel stronghold of Benghazi to watch the first broadcast, celebrating a new-found freedom from 40 years of media oppression.
Station co-founder Zuhair Albarasi told Associated Press from the square, which has become a rallying point for the revolt against Colonel Qaddafi: "This is freedom. I hope this shows the true colour of Libyan people and their real faith in a new, free Libya."
The channel was born out of an internet video streaming site launched by Mr Albarasi and fellow Libyan businessman Mohammed al Nabbous. They started toting video cameras to anti-regime protests, jerry-rigged a home satellite system and turned to the Web. The danger of their effort was quickly made clear: Mr al Nabbous, 27, was killed by a sniper in Benghazi on March 19.
Their site continued streaming video and audio reports direct from the battle front, including audio of fighters and the sounds of whizzing bullets and whooshes of rocket launchers. It also hosts a chat room that draws Libyans inside and outside the country as well as sympathetic foreigners.
But in a country where internet access has been curtailed for much of the population, the channel, hosted on Livestream, remains limited in its reach. That made it vital to appear on satellite TV, which reaches an estimated 90 per cent of the Libyan public.
With the channel's airing on Monday, Mr Albarasi paid tribute to his lost friend: "The relaunch of Libya Alhurra is done in his name. We are all looking forward to providing the people of Libya with a professional and independent service."
Monday night's launch ran late with a procession of proclamations from various rebel and community leaders that might have bored an audience in a free country. But the thousands gathered at the newly named Liberation Square remained spellbound until the early hours of the morning, revelling in the denunciations of Colonel Qaddafi and promises of a better life in a free and democratic Libya.
Saiz Mahmoud, a 22-year-old mathematics student, said: "This is a victory for freedom of speech. For the first time we can express our opinion. This channel belongs to the Libyan people."
The rebels acknowledge that in the media war, Colonel Qaddafi has the upper hand so far, with his state-run TV and radio reaching across the country, including in the rebel-held east and the opposition's de facto capital, Benghazi.
"Qaddafi's media are very effective," Mr Albarasi said. "We know because a lot of people still believe Qaddafi's propaganda, even here in Benghazi."
Before the mid-February uprising against Colonel Qaddafi's four-decade rule, few bothered to watch state-run satellite TV stations, which showed only the daily activities of "brother leader" Colonel Qaddafi, leavened by badly produced Libyan-made dramas. But now they are drawing audiences with images of buildings in the capital set ablaze by Nato air strikes and appeals to Libyan patriotism to stand together against "the Crusaders," as Colonel Qaddafi calls the Western coalition members.
On another front, the rebel administration is fighting to get Colonel Qaddafi's channels off the air, arguing they are spreading hatred and inciting violence. The administration has appealed to Egypt-based distributor Nilesat to hand them Colonel Qaddafi's frequencies. Nilesat head Ahmed Anis said they are a commercial company and such demands should be taken to Egypt's Foreign Ministry.
The Arab League passed a resolution asking Nilesat to block Colonel Qaddafi's TV stations, while the United Nations is working to broaden sanctions on the regime to include shutting down state-run channels.
However, Mr Albarasi said he is against censorship: "We don't want to forbid Qaddafi's channels, only have the same freedom to voice our views."
In the first days of the uprising, as Colonel Qaddafi was claiming he was fighting al Qa'eda terrorists and drug addicts, Mr Albarasi and Mr al Nabbous realised the importance of showing the truth to Libyans and others abroad.
Mr al Nabbous brought the satellite dish from his home and, working with volunteers, the two set up cameras and an account with Livestream and began feeding video to the world. Mr Albarasi, a business administration graduate who works in hotel and oil management, used a video camera to interview protesters and document the heavy weapons the regime turned against unarmed protesters.
"I was scared," Mr Albarasi recalled. "I know what kind of monster Qaddafi is, and Internal Security was watching and filming us," he said.
At first, people thought he was a foreign correspondent.
"When I told them I'm Libyan, this channel is yours, it's ours, our free space where we can express ourselves, people would hug me, crying, kiss my hands," he said. "I was crying myself. They even tore my shirt trying to touch me."