In a letter made public today, Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) urge diplomatic missions to press eastern Libyan authorities to halt executions, amid reports of at least 30 executions since late August and at least 50 people at imminent risk of execution. Full letter below:
.هذا البيان الصحفي متوفر باللغة العربية أيضاً
Your Excellencies,
Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) write to request urgent diplomatic action to urge the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), the de facto authorities in eastern Libya, to immediately halt all executions and declare an official moratorium on executions, as essential first steps towards abolition of the death penalty.
According to information gathered by our organisations, to date, at least 30 people, including civilians, have been executed since late August 2026, following grossly unfair trials before military courts.[1, 4] The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has also referred to the execution of more than 30 people in recent weeks, seemingly corroborating our information.[1, 4] Moreover, on 23 August 2026, the Military Prosecutor General’s Office, affiliated with the General Command of the LAAF, announced the execution by firing squad of 10 people convicted of “terrorism-related offences” and killings. Six further executions were documented on 29 August 2026. [1, 2, 3]
These were the first known executions recorded since 2010, following death sentences imposed by Libyan courts. [1, 8]
In addition to the executions mentioned above, at least 50 other men, who have been held at Gernada (Qarnada) Military Prison, in eastern Libya, are at imminent risk of being executed, amid reports that some among them were transferred to other locations on 11 September 2026.[1] Information received by LCW indicates that, in total, at least 90 people, including the 50 men mentioned above, have been sentenced to death following criminal trials before military courts in eastern Libya. Their exact number, their places of detention, the offences of which they were convicted, the status of any appeals, and whether they are civilians or military personnel, remain unknown.[9]
In its statement of 16 September 2026, UNSMIL called for the suspension of executions and for a credible review of the cases, regretting that executions had continued despite its engagement with the relevant authorities.[4]
In light of the above, our organisations are profoundly concerned about the recent and ongoing arbitrary deprivations of life. In the cases examined in connection with the executions carried out since late August 2026, Amnesty International documented flagrant violations of the right to a fair trial in criminal proceedings before military courts in eastern Libya, including the rights to be assisted by legal counsel before and during trial and have adequate time and facilities to prepare a defence; not to self-incriminate during questioning; to a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent and impartial court; to be present at trial; to a reasoned judgment and to a meaningful review of conviction and sentence by a higher court. The organisation also documented how several of those executed had been subjected to enforced disappearance or prolonged incommunicado detention, as well as torture and other ill-treatment; and were denied access to lawyers of their choice, to their family, and to communicate with their lawyers in private. In addition, LCW documented how lawyers were permitted to inspect some case files but were not allowed to obtain copies of the same, while judgments and other records necessary to prepare an appeal or seek pardon or commutation were not made fully available to the accused and/or their lawyers. Amnesty International also gathered information indicating that at least two people were executed even though a higher military court had reduced their death sentences to life imprisonment, leaving the purported legal basis for their execution unclear. [1, 2]
Families were not given timely advance notice of the executions of their loved ones and, in some cases, learned of their death through informal sources or only after they were summoned purportedly to identify the bodies of their relatives following the executions, in violation of Libyan and international law.[10] UN bodies and independent human rights experts have repeatedly found that the failure to notify relatives of the scheduled execution date of their loved ones could amount to ill-treatment and violate article 7 of the ICCPR, guaranteeing the right to be free from torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.[6]
Moreover, LCW and Amnesty International documented restrictions on burials and funeral ceremonies in connection with the executions carried out since late August 2026, as well as the withholding of death certificates, forensic reports and other official records. These practices compound the harm suffered by relatives and obstruct their right to truth. [1, 2]
As a State party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, Libya is bound by articles 6 and 14, guaranteeing the right to life and to a fair trial, respectively. The UN Human Rights Committee has authoritatively held that a death sentence imposed following proceedings that violate fair trial guarantees is arbitrary and violates the right to life.[6] In addition, death sentences imposed upon convictions based on information obtained through torture violate articles 6, 7 and 14 of the ICCPR.
Furthermore, with respect to capital cases, the Human Rights Committee has authoritatively held that, as a rule, civilians must not be tried before military tribunals. [6, 7] Under international human rights law and standards, the use of military courts must be restricted to trying military personnel for breaches of military discipline and should never result in the imposition of the death penalty in any circumstances. Military trials of civilians, or the trial of military personnel accused of having committed crimes against civilians, violate the right to be tried before a competent, independent and impartial tribunal because the prosecutors and judges are serving members of the military and subject to its hierarchy. Furthermore, verdicts by military courts can only be appealed to a higher military court, which likewise lacks independence.
In November 2025, the Constitutional Chamber of Libya’s Supreme Court held Law No. 4 of 2017 unconstitutional insofar as it bestowed jurisdiction on military courts to try civilians accused of “terrorism-related offences” and “crimes against the State”. The reported continuation of military proceedings against civilians after that judgment raises serious concern regarding compliance with the Court’s binding ruling.[5]
We therefore urge your Government or Delegation to:
- Issue a public statement calling on the Libyan authorities to halt all planned executions immediately and establish an official moratorium on the use of the death penalty throughout Libya.
- Make urgent bilateral representations to the General Command of the LAAF, the Military Prosecutor General’s Office and the eastern-based authorities, seeking assurances that no further executions will be carried out; ensure that defendants, their lawyers and families have appropriate access to judgments, case files and other relevant records, and that the necessary information is made available, as warranted, to independent investigators and monitors; and guarantee prompt and private access to lawyers of defendants’ own choosing and the right to a public hearing and a reasoned judgment. Press for death sentences imposed after proceedings that failed to meet international fair trial standards to be quashed, for military trials of civilians to cease, and for any retrials of those charged with recognisably criminal offences to take place before an independent and impartial civilian court without recourse to the death penalty or use of evidence obtained through torture or duress.
- Request prompt, independent and effective investigations into allegations of torture and into the circumstances and lawfulness of the executions; access for UNSMIL, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and independent monitors to Gernada, al-Kuwayfiyah and other relevant detention sites; and protection against reprisals for relatives, lawyers, witnesses and human rights defenders seeking information or accountability.
Time is critical. Further executions could be carried out without notice at any point now. We would welcome the opportunity to brief your mission confidentially and share additional verified information where this can be done safely. We would also appreciate being informed of any representations or public action taken in response to this appeal.
References
[1] Amnesty International, Libya: Dozens Executed, Scores Remain at Imminent Risk, 11 September 2026, MDE 19/1455/2026.
[2] Libya Crimes Watch, Urgent Appeal: The Execution of at Least 16 Individuals Following Military Court Proceedings and the Imminent Risk of Further Executions in Eastern Libya, 3 September 2026.
[3] Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies and the Libya Platform Coalition, Libya: Execution of 16 People Following Military Trials is a Mockery of Justice, 4 September 2026.
[4] United Nations Support Mission in Libya, UNSMIL calls for suspension of executions and stresses the need to uphold fair trial guarantees, 16 September 2026.
[5] Supreme Court of Libya, Constitutional Chamber, Constitutional Appeal No. 22/71 JY, judgment of 2 November 2025.
[6] UN Human Rights Committee, General Comment No. 36 on article 6 of the ICCPR, CCPR/C/GC/36, 3 September 2019, paras. 40, 41, 45, 54 and 56.
[7] UN Human Rights Committee, General Comment No. 32 on article 14 of the ICCPR, CCPR/C/GC/32, 23 August 2007, para. 22.
[8] Human Rights Watch, Injustice By Design: Need for Comprehensive Justice Reform in Libya, 2 June 2025, “Death Penalty” section.
[9] Libya Crimes Watch, Information on file concerning persons reportedly under sentence of death following military proceedings in eastern Libya, updated September 2026. The figure remains under verification and is not presented as a confirmed public total.
[10] These practices indeed appear inconsistent with safeguards under Libyan law governing the execution of death sentences, including requirements concerning the notification of relatives, access to the person sentenced to death prior to execution, and the handling of the body following execution, which are set out in the Code of Criminal Procedure (art. 432) and Law No. 5 of 2005 on Correction and Rehabilitation Institutions (art. 87) and its Implementing Regulations adopted by Decision No. 168 of 2005 (art. 180). In the context of military proceedings, article 112 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Armed People provides for the application of the ordinary Code of Criminal Procedure to matters not specifically regulated by military procedural law.
