A number of Eurasian countries, notably Kazakhstan, are adopting tactics very similar to those of Belarus in order to curb critical media coverage, particularly on the internet. Recent increases in the numbers of online users in these countries have undoubtedly contributed to authorities’ perceived need to control the web.

Al-Ghazal’s assassination was perpetrated after Libya started its return to the international scene and inaugurated its costly public relations campaign to improve its stained image in Western capitals following nearly two decades of ostracism spurred by United Nations Security Council sanctions. Yet media remain tightly muzzled.