A BBC news crew has described being subjected to torture and a mock execution at the hands of Libyan government forces. Three journalists say they were held for 21 hours after being arrested at a checkpoint south of the city of Zawiyah on Monday. A crew member of Palestinian descent was singled out by a security officer and beaten severely. The reporters were caged and hooded. At one point they were forced to face a wall, and a man in plain clothes placed his gun on the necks of the detained journalists and fired two shots next to one reporter’s head. Camera operator Goktay Koraltan said they were detained along with other prisoners who had been tortured.

Goktay Koraltan: “I can’t describe how bad was it. They were, most of them, hooded and handcuffed really tightly, all swollen hands, broken ribs. They were in agony. They were screaming. There was a big operation going on there, and from second floor, I heard a lot of screaming. And I can’t describe. It was horrible, the worst thing I’ve ever seen in my life, and I’ve seen a lot of bad stuff.”