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Libya Review
2 days ago
- Politics
- Libya Review
Rights Group Warns of Alarming Human Rights Violations Across Libya in July
A new report by the Libyan Crimes Watch Organization (LCW) reveals a disturbing rise in grave human rights abuses across Libya during July, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and systematic efforts to disrupt the electoral process. The organization holds both official security agencies and armed groups responsible for the ongoing violations, accusing Libyan authorities of failing to protect civilians or hold perpetrators accountable. The report documented the death of activist Abdelmonem Rajab Al-Marimi, 51, who died at Al-Khalil Hospital in Tripoli after falling from the third floor of the Attorney General's office. He had been arbitrarily detained a day earlier in Surman by plainclothes officers affiliated with the Internal Security Agency. LCW described the circumstances surrounding his death as deeply suspicious and called for an independent investigation. The report also highlighted the kidnapping of two protesters, Ayman Zamit and Mohammed Aoun, who were abducted on July 7 by unidentified armed men in Tripoli. The two were targeted for participating in demonstrations demanding political change and were later released under threats to cease all activism. On July 21, a municipal council candidate in Al-Aziziya was attacked by gunmen who opened fire on his car. The same candidate had previously received threats in an attempt to force his withdrawal from the race. LCW recorded at least 10 coordinated attacks on voter card distribution centers between June 28 and July 6, carried out by armed elements believed to be linked to the Libyan Arab Armed Forces. These attacks took place in cities such as Benghazi, Sabha, Sirte, and Tobruk, disrupting the electoral process in those areas. The report also noted the recovery of 31 bodies of migrants, many of them Egyptians, along Libyan shores following multiple shipwrecks. The organization condemned the Libyan state's failure to protect migrants or provide safe pathways. LCW holds multiple actors responsible, including the Internal Security Agency, the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, the General Prosecutor's Office, the GNU, and the 55th Brigade. It urged the UN, ICC, and international stakeholders to increase pressure on Libyan authorities and resume criminal investigations to end the growing culture of impunity. Tags: ElectionHuman Rightslibyasecuritytorture
Zawya
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Zawya
Egypt: Authorities must immediately reveal whereabouts of Egyptian-Libyan activist Nasser al-Hawari
Egyptian authorities must immediately reveal the whereabouts of Egyptian-Libyan activist and TV anchor Nasser al-Hawari, who was forcibly disappeared after being seized by plainclothes security officers outside his family home in Alexandria on 9 February, escorted into an unmarked van, and driven away, Amnesty International said today. He was arrested on the same day his TV show addressed violations against prisoners held in eastern Libya, an area under de facto control by the self-proclaimed Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) armed group, under the command of Khalifa Heftar. During the show, aired on the Libyan channel Al-Jamahiriya and broadcast from Egypt, Nasser al-Hawari promised to reveal further evidence of these violations. 'Nasser al-Hawari's distressed family have not heard from him since he was seized without explanation or an arrest warrant and subjected to enforced disappearance. Egyptian authorities must immediately reveal Nasser al-Hawari's whereabouts and allow him to contact his family and lawyers,' said Amnesty International Researcher Mahmoud Shalaby. "Egyptian authorities must immediately reveal Nasser al-Hawari's whereabouts and allow him to contact his family and lawyers" Mahmoud Shalaby, Amnesty International 'They must also drop any investigations and charges solely related to his legitimate media work or for exercising his right to freedom of expression. The close relationship between the Egyptian government and Khalifa Heftar should never justify retaliating against Nasser al-Hawari for exposing human rights violations committed by forces under Khalifa Heftar's command.' Nasser al-Hawari's younger brother, who was with him at the time, was also arrested, briefly blindfolded and handcuffed in a van before being released and threatened with arrest if he reported his brother's arrest. Security forces also confiscated his mobile phone. Since then, the family's attempts to get information about Nasser al-Hawari's whereabouts from the authorities have gone unanswered. Amnesty International reviewed copies of complaints sent by the family to Public Prosecution on 10 February to inquire about al-Hawari's whereabouts. The family have yet to receive a response. Nasser al-Hawari, who established and headed the Libyan organization, Victims for Human Rights, fled Libya for Tunisia in January 2024, and reported being briefly detained by the Deterrence Apparatus for Combatting Terrorism and Organized Crime (DACTO) militia in Tripoli on 29 January 2024. He travelled to Egypt in June 2024. After videos appeared online in January 2025 showing detainees in Libya being subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, including beatings and flogging, in Gernada prison, under the control LAAF, Nasser al-Hawari made a number of public statements and TV appearances highlighting impunity for such crimes in eastern Libya, and calling for independent and impartial investigations. Amnesty International has long documented crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations committed by LAAF and allied armed groups, amid a climate of impunity and a brutal crackdown on all forms of dissent. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Amnesty International.
