Latest news with #massgraves
Asharq Al-Awsat
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
EU, UN Agree on Importance of Libya Ceasefire
The United Nations rights office called on Wednesday for an independent investigation into the discovery of mass graves at detention centers in Libya's capital Tripoli as the European Union Ambassador to Libya said he agreed with the UN that 'no effort should be spared to preserve the ceasefire and prevent a return to violence.' EU Ambassador Nicola Orlando said he discussed with Hanna Tetteh, the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Libya and Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), 'views on our respective outreach to Libyan and international partners.' He said they discussed 'the next steps' in the political process facilitated by UNSMIL, 'including how the EU can best support her efforts at this delicate juncture for Libya.' He 'reiterated the EU's strong backing for her facilitation and commended the renewed sense of urgency she has brought through her consultations.' Orlando said he 'stressed the need for all key actors to engage constructively with UNSMIL and avoid uncoordinated initiatives.' Meanwhile, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR ) said it was "shocked" by gross human rights violations uncovered at official and unofficial detention facilities in Libya. OHCHR said the discovery of dozens of bodies and suspected instruments of torture and abuse confirmed longstanding findings by the UN that human rights violations were committed at such sites. "We call on the Libyan authorities to conduct independent, impartial and transparent investigations into these discoveries," OHCHR said in a statement. It urged the authorities to preserve evidence and grant Libya's forensic teams, as well as the United Nations, full access to the sites.
Arab News
a day ago
- General
- Arab News
UN calls for probe into Libya mass graves
GENEVA: The UN human rights office called on Wednesday for an independent investigation into the discovery of mass graves at detention centers in Libya's capital Tripoli. It expressed concerns about the discovery of dozens of bodies, some charred and buried and others in hospital refrigerators, in an area of Libya's capital controlled by an armed militia whose leader was killed last month. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said he was shocked by revelations that gross rights violations were uncovered at detention facilities in Tripoli run by the Stabilization Support Authority, or SSA, an armed group whose commander, Abdel-Ghani Al-Kikli, was killed in militia fighting in mid-May. It was established to uphold the rule of law and falls under the Presidential Council that came to power in 2021 with the Government of National Unity of Abdul Hamid Dbeibah through a UN-backed process. The rights office said it later received information on the excavation of 10 charred bodies at the SSA headquarters in the Abu Salim neighborhood and another 67 bodies discovered in refrigerators in the Abu Salim and Al-Khadra Hospitals. It also cited reports of a burial site at the Tripoli Zoo that was run by the SSA. The office said the identities of the bodies were not immediately clear. 'Our worst-held fears are being confirmed: Dozens of bodies have been discovered at these sites, along with the discovery of suspected instruments of torture and abuse, and potential evidence of extrajudicial killings,' Türk said in a statement. Türk called on authorities to seal the area to preserve evidence and said there needed to be accountability for the killings. He said the UN should be granted access to the sites to document rights violations. Libya, a major oil producer in the Mediterranean, has known little law and order since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled dictator Muammar Qaddafi and eventually divided the country between warring eastern and western factions. The rights body said the discovery of dozens of bodies and suspected instruments of torture and abuse confirmed longstanding findings by the UN that human rights violations were committed at such sites. 'We call on the Libyan authorities to conduct independent, impartial and transparent investigations into these discoveries,' it said in a statement. It urged the authorities to preserve evidence and grant Libya's forensic teams, as well as the United Nations, full access to the sites. Outright war fighting in Libya abated with a ceasefire in 2020. However, efforts to end the political crisis have failed, with major factions occasionally joining forces in armed clashes and competing for control over Libya's substantial energy resources. Armed clashes erupted on Monday evening and gunfire echoed in the center and other parts of Tripoli following reports that the commander of one of its most powerful armed groups had been killed, three residents said by phone.
Reuters
a day ago
- General
- Reuters
UN calls for probe into mass graves at Libya detention centres
GENEVA, June 4 (Reuters) - The United Nations rights office called on Wednesday for a independent investigation into the discovery of mass graves at detention centres in Libya's capital Tripoli. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said it was "shocked" by gross human rights violations uncovered at official and unofficial detention facilities run by the Stability Support Apparatus, a security institution. It was established to uphold the rule of law and falls under the Presidential Council that came to power in 2021 with the Government of National Unity of Abdulhamid Dbeibah through a U.N.-backed process. But Libya, a major oil producer in the Mediterranean, has known little law and order since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled dictator Muammar al-Gaddafi and eventually divided the country between warring eastern and western factions. The OHCHR said the discovery of dozens of bodies and suspected instruments of torture and abuse confirmed longstanding findings by the U.N. that human rights violations were committed at such sites. "We call on the Libyan authorities to conduct independent, impartial and transparent investigations into these discoveries," OHCHR said in a statement. It urged the authorities to preserve evidence and grant Libya's forensic teams, as well as the United Nations, full access to the sites. Outright war fighting in Libya abated with a ceasefire in 2020 but efforts to end the political crisis have failed, with major factions occasionally joining forces in armed clashes and competing for control over Libya's substantial energy resources. Armed clashes erupted on Monday evening and gunfire echoed in the centre and other parts of Tripoli following reports that the commander of one of its most powerful armed groups had been killed, three residents told Reuters by phone.
Al Jazeera
19-05-2025
- Al Jazeera
If the Dead Come Home: Iraq's Mass Graves
Forensic experts in Iraq meticulously work to identify the remains from mass graves, uncovering the fates of thousands who disappeared during decades of conflict. With rare access to excavation sites, the unfolding story reveals the tireless efforts of DNA specialists and the emotional journeys of families seeking closure. As bones and belongings resurface, survivors confront the harrowing legacy of the Saddam Hussein era, sectarian violence, and ISIL (ISIS) atrocities. The painstaking process of identification not only brings solace to grieving families but also fuels the broader fight for justice and accountability in a country still grappling with its traumatic past. If the Dead Come Home is a documentary film by Aaron Weintraub.
CBS News
12-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
Search by FBI, Qatar uncovers remains of 30 people believed killed by ISIS in Syria
The remains of 30 people believed to have been killed by the militant Islamic State group have been found in a remote Syrian town in a search led by Qatari search teams and the FBI, according to a statement from Qatar on Monday. The Qatari internal security forces said the FBI had requested the search, and that DNA tests are currently underway to determine the identities of the people. The Qatari agency did not say whom the American intelligence and security agency is trying to find. However, the Reuters news agency, citing two sources briefed on the mission, said they were searching for the remains of American hostages killed by ISIS. Dozens of foreigners, including aid workers and journalists, were killed by ISIS militants who had controlled large swaths of Syria and Iraq for half a decade and declared a so-called caliphate. The militant group lost most of its territory in late 2017 and was declared defeated in 2019. Since then, dozens of gravesites and mass graves have been discovered in northern Syria containing remains and bodies of people ISIS had abducted over the years. American journalists James Foley and Steven Sotloff, as well as humanitarian workers Kayla Mueller and Peter Kassig are among those killed by ISIS. A Syrian source told Reuters that the initial search was focused on was on finding the remains of Kassig, who was beheaded in 2014 in northern Syria. "We are grateful to all those who are involved in the effort to get these deceased individuals' remains identified and returned to their home countries and loved ones," the Kassig family said in a statement to Reuters. John Cantlie, a British correspondent, was abducted alongside Foley in 2012, and was last seen alive in one of the extremist group's propaganda videos in 2016. The search took place in the town of Dabiq, near Syria's northern border with Turkey. ISIS released videos in 2014 and 2015 of the beheadings of Foley, Sotloff, and Kassig. A similar video was released of two abducted Japanese aid workers who were beheaded by the extremists in a similar way. A masked man who was doing the killings and speaking in English on the videos was later identified as Mohammed Emwazi, a British citizen of Kuwaiti origin from London, known as "Jihadi John." He was killed in November 2015 in a targeted U.S. and British drone strike. Mass graves have also found in areas previously controlled by Syrian President Bashar Assad who was ousted in a lightning insurgency last December, ending his family's half-century rule. For years, the Assads used their notorious security and intelligence agencies to crack down on dissidents, many who have gone missing. First responders carry a body at the site of a mass grave in Raqqa, Syria, the city that served as the de facto capital of the Islamic State group, Sept. 7, 2019. Maya Alleruzzo / AP American journalist Austin Tice, abducted in 2012 in a contested area in western Syria, is among the most prominent cases of the missing. He was last seen a video weeks later, showing him being taken captive by armed men. The U.S. administration in December said he is still believed to be alive, though Washington admitted at the time it had no direct evidence of Tice's wellbeing. Washington had for years maintained that Tice was held by Syria's now-former authorities. In an interview with "CBS Mornings" in December, Tice's parents said they had not seen video evidence that he is alive, and they don't know where he is. "We haven't seen ... video evidence since the initial video that came out shortly after he was taken, but there has been confirmation from folks that have had eyes on him, and that even fairly recently," Marc Tice said. "So, again, we are confident that he is alive and we know he's ready to come home." The United Nations in 2021 estimated that over 130,000 Syrians were taken away and disappeared during the uprising that began in 2011 and descended into a 13-year civil war.
