Amnesty urges prosecution of militia leaders over Tripoli clashes
Human rights group Amnesty International has urged Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh to prosecute militia leaders involved in recent clashes in Tripoli, calling for an end to what it described as a culture of impunity.
In a statement published on Tuesday, Amnesty's Libya researcher, Mahmoud Shalaby, said the government must prioritise victims' rights and initiate a comprehensive, independent investigation into abuses committed by armed groups.
'The cycle of impunity must be broken,' Shalaby said. 'Accountability should not become a tool for revenge, but a step toward justice.'
Amnesty welcomed the appointment of a new head of Libya's Internal Security Agency, hoping it would curb what it called the agency's campaign of repression against peaceful citizens.
The organisation also called for the prosecution of the agency's former chief, Lotfi Al-Hariri, citing serious abuses allegedly committed during his tenure — including during his previous role with the Central Security Force in Abu Salim.
Amnesty further criticised the country's Illegal Immigration Control Department and urged thorough screening of its staff during integration into the Ministry of Interior. It accused the unit, along with the Internal Security Agency and the Stability Support Apparatus, of widespread abuses, including arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and torture.
It called for the immediate release of all detainees held without legal charge in both official and unofficial detention centres.
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