One of the leading activists is Fowzi Omaar who first started the petition on his Facebook page. Al-Monitor tracked Omaar down in Tripoli and asked him what he expects from his petition. He said, “I am expecting to alert Salame about the applicable Libyan laws as to make sure [he will] not break them by accepting the appointment of any person with dual citizenship.”
When told that such a law was passed under Gadhafi and many would dispute it, Omaar said, “As long as they are still valid and have not been repealed or amended, everyone must respect them.”
By visiting Omaar’s Facebook page, it appears that hundreds of Libyans are supporting his efforts. He said, “I expect thousands of Libyans to sign the petition.” On Oct. 2, Omaar sent a written message confirming to Al-Monitor that his petition was indeed delivered to Salame’s office in Tunis. He also noted that he is still “urging more Libyans to start their own petition to the UN envoy about the same issue.”
Omaar added, “[I] think more Libyans will come forward and petition the UN envoy now that I opened the way for them.”
It remains to be seen if the laws will be upheld while not repealed, or if they will be broken again just like in so many other situations. It would be a bad start at a time Libyans are seeking the rule of law and a new country where the judiciary is respected.