Oral Statement of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) at the Interactive Dialogue with the Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya
The statement reads as follow:
“Mr President,
While commending to this Council the Fact-Finding Mission on Libya’s (FFM) final reports,[1] the ICJ deplores the termination of its mandate.
The FFM has documented serious crimes under international law committed with impunity by all parties since 2016, a situation that continues unabated. This Council cannot meet such findings with inaction.
Libya’s human rights situation is deteriorating. The judiciary is dysfunctional and has proven unable or unwilling to pursue accountability, while the civic space is under serious threats, with violent attacks on civil society actors and the alarming decision invalidating all associations established since 2011. In the circumstances, a failure to act on this Council’s part will compound the country’s predicament.
The current draft resolution on Libya falls dramatically short of filling the country’s accountability vacuum. Reporting on and investigating gross human rights abuses are more needed than ever. The ICJ concurs with the FFM’s powerful recommendations in this regard, including its call on this Council to establish an independent, international investigation mechanism. In light of this, the ICJ calls on this Council and its Member States to urgently implement the FFM’s recommendations and establish an adequately resourced, independent accountability mechanism to follow up on the FFM’s important work in a manner commensurate with the gravity of the situation in Libya.
Thank you.”
[The Statement was delivered by: Alexander Bekmurzin]
[1] A/HRC/52/83 and A/HRC/52/CRP.8