Justice and accountability in Libya can only be achieved if activists and lawyers fully engage with and support the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission on Libya (FFM) in documenting and collecting evidence of serious violations in the country, the ICJ said today.
To facilitate such engagement, the ICJ’s Question and Answer (Q&A) published today provides guidance for Libyan and international civil society actors on:
- the role and mandate of the FFM;
- the FFM’s relationship with other accountability mechanisms, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC);
- what the FFM may be expected to achieve; and
- how to engage with the FFM.
“The success of the FFM’s mandate rests largely on its ability to establish the facts about and collect evidence of violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law perpetrated in Libya.”
“We urge lawyers, activists and civil society actors to fully support the FFM in achieving these objectives and bringing about the accountability that has so far eluded Libya.”
– Said Benarbia, the ICJ’s MENA Programme Director.
The FFM was established by the UN Human Rights Council on 22 June 2020 through resolution 43/39. Its mandate includes:
- Establishing facts and circumstances of the human rights situation throughout Libya;
- Collecting and reviewing relevant information;
- Documenting alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law and international humanitarian law, including any gendered dimensions of such violations and abuses; and
- Preserving evidence with a view to ensuring that perpetrators be held accountable.
While the FFM cannot conduct criminal investigations or prosecute individuals, the evidence preserved may be used by Libyan judicial authorities, the ICC, and third countries exercising universal jurisdiction.
The FFM has issued a call for submissions of relevant information and materials, the deadline for which is 30 June 2021.
Contact
Said Benarbia, Director, ICJ Middle East and North Africa Programme; t: +41 22 979 3817, e: said.benarbia(a)icj.org
Vito Todeschini, Legal Adviser, ICJ Middle East and North Africa Programme; t: +216 53 334 679, e: vito.todeschini(a)icj.org
Asser Khattab, Research and Communications Officer, ICJ Middle East and North Africa Programme; e: Asser.Khattab(a)icj.org
Download
Q&A on the UN International Fact-Finding Mission in English and Arabic.