Tripoli: l’OMCT et le Groupe Libyen d’Observation des Violations des Droits de l’Homme ont organisé une formation sur la documentation de la torture et du mauvais traitement en Libye

The OMCT held its second training session as part of its support toLibyan civil society, entitled “The effective investigation and documentationof torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment orpunishment”, from 29 September to 1 October in Tripoli. The session was held incollaboration with the Libyan Group to Monitor Human Rights Violations.Participants from across Libya included 18 lawyers, one social worker, and oneMember of Parliament.

The training, comprised of workshops, group discussions,role-playing, and a prison visit, addressed the international legal frameworkprohibiting torture and ill-treatment, and how to build complete case files inorder to facilitate access to justice for victims, including all necessarylegal and medical documentation. The workshop also covered an experiencesharing on how to interview victims, who have suffered torture or rape duringthe case-building, as well as how lawyers should approach working onemotionally difficult cases in order to avoid any negative effects on their ownemotional state.

The first session of the workshop was led by Alaa Kaoud, a humanrights expert working at UNSMIL. The rest of the training was led by SamirZaqout, a expert in documenting human rights violations, the coordinatorof the fieldwork unit at the Gazan organsation Al Mezan; and Sana Hamze,an expert in provide mental healthcare to victims of torture and the head ofthe rehabilitation unit at the Restart Center in Lebanon.

One day of the training was devoted to a session covering differenttypes of prison visits, how such visits should conducted, and what questionsshould be asked to detainees, guards, and prison authorities. This session wascomplimented by a group trip to the prison of Ain Zara in Tripoli, which holdsaround 700 prisoners. The participants then spent three hours at the prisonassessing the conditions in the facility and interviewing detainees, with theguidance of the trainers.

During this visit, several participants made commitments to providelegal assistance to detainees in the prison, and all of the participantsexpressed a desire to be included in the network that OMCT is developingcomprised of lawyers and other members of civil society committed to playing akey role in the fight against torture in Libya.

The workshop is part of a two year effort of the OMCT to increasevictims’ access to justice and to build specialized civil society capacityagainst torture and ill-treatment and to advocate for anti-torture reforms inLibya. The project is conducted jointly with the International RehabilitationCentre for Victims of Torture and possible due to the generous financialsupport of the European Union.

For further information please contact: Belkis Wille, Human RightsOfficer (Middle East and North Africa) at the OMCT. bw@omct.org, + 216 22 194051.

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