Libya: Crimes against humanity continue in all impunity

Interactive dialogue with the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Libya

The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the Libyan Anti-Torture Network (LAN) welcome the report of the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Libya while being extremely concerned about the end of its mandate and its consequences on victims in the country.

Libya’s permanent state of conflict and instability is the ground for numerous serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law that amount to crimes against humanity as reported by the FFM on Libya. Through its field-monitoring, the LAN has also documented hundreds of cases of torture and other crimes. It has also reported on the inefficiency of the judicial system as well as the prevalence of war crimes due to the spread of “militia rule” in Libya.

The blurred boundaries between State and non-State armed groups and the precarious security environment severely impede victims’ access to justice and constitute a serious obstacle to the transitional justice process. In such a context, it is not a surprise that victims in Libya have lost confidence in the Libyan judiciary.

Unfortunately, the current follow-up resolution on Libya presented to the Council does not reflect the reality of the situation on the ground and does not recognise the serious need for international forms of accountability for the above-mentioned crimes. This resolution also fails to consider the needs of victims in the framework of international law. It will only further promote impunity for perpetrators who continue to commit violent crimes such as human trafficking, rape, extrajudicial and unlawful killings, and torture, among other crimes.

The OMCT and the LAN call on the international community to seriously consider the establishment of a new independent international monitoring mechanism on Libya that would also ensure the implementation of the UN Fact-Finding Mission’s recommendations. The two organisations will continue to press for international accountability for the grave violations documented.

Thank you.