Libyan who sparked revolution sworn in as minister

[tabatha]

TRIPOLI | Sun Dec 4, 2011 1:13pm EST
(Reuters) - The man whose arrest in February sparked Libya's revolution was sworn in as a minister in the new interim government on Sunday but said he had been hesitant about taking on the new job.

Fethi Tarbel, Libya's new sport and youth minister, wiped away tears after he took he swore a pledge of allegiance to Libya with one hand placed on the Koran, the Muslim holy book.

Tarbel, a human rights activist and lawyer who represented families of the Abu Salim prison massacre in 1996, was arrested in Benghazi in February.

His detention sparked a demonstration by families of the victims of the Abu Salim massacre in the eastern town's Shajara Square on the night of Feb 15-16.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/04/us-libya-minister-idUSTRE7B30LU20111204