Libya: the Human Rights Council must establish an independent international investigative mechanism

Jul 9, 2024 | Advocacy, Joint Statement, News

The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) participated in the interactive dialogue on the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on technical assistance and capacity-building to improve human rights in Libya.

In a joint statement with Lawyers for Justice in Libya and Libya Crimes Watch, the ICJ called on the Human Rights Council to establish an independent international investigative mechanism for Libya:

“Your Excellency, High Commissioner,

The International Commission of Jurists welcomes and reiterates the call in your report on the Libyan authorities to adopt a single national reconciliation law that complies with international human rights law and standards.

The escalating human rights violations and abuses since the Fact-Finding Mission’s last report in March 2023, highlighted in your report, are of profound concern. Eastern and western authorities and associated armed groups continue to commit egregious crimes under international law, including arbitrary arrests and detention, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings. They relentlessly attack, threaten and harass civil society actors, effectively silencing their voices and preventing their work.

Moreover, they continue to interfere in the work of criminal justice actors by threatening, intimidating and harassing them. In the circumstances, the Libyan criminal justice system is unable to ensure accountability for past and ongoing crimes.

Indeed, despite this Council mandating three inquiries on Libya since 2011, to date there has been no appropriate accountability measure at the domestic level to follow up on the evidence gathered by these inquiries.

In light of the above and the announcement by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court of the completion of the Libya investigations by the end of 2025, we urge this Council to establish an independent international investigative mechanism for Libya. Such a mechanism is particularly needed as domestic remedies for grave human rights violations and abuses remain unavailable.

Thank you.”

Contact:

Sandra Epal Ratjen, ICJ UN Representative and Senior Legal Adviser, e: [email protected]

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