On Wednesday, Rev. Yeshua Yacoub, Secretary General of Egypt’s Council of Churches, denounced the kidnapping of six Egyptians in Libya last week.
In a statement, Yacoub urged President Abdel-Fattah El Sisi to intervene, and work for their immediate release. He also held the Libyan authorities responsible for the safety of the kidnapped citizens, calling for their immediate release.
Notably, Gunmen recently kidnapped Egyptian businessman, Suhaib Fekri in Tripoli, taking him to an unknown destination, according to his family’s statements.
The family told Libya’s Al-Marsad news that they “searched police stations, battalions, security agencies, and prosecutors in Tripoli, and did not find any evidence of his arrest. Therefore he was kidnapped.”
They also appealed to all security, military, and judicial authorities in Tripoli to investigate his disappearance. As well as to the Attorney General, Al-Siddiq Al-Sour to intervene and help release him.
Libya ranked 20th among the most insecure countries, according to the Numbeo Crime Index. The war-torn country received a high rating of 62.00.
Tripoli ranked 50th globally in the Crime Index’s classification for cities, the second-highest in the Arab world, after Damascus was given first place. It was given a rating of 64.27, due to high levels of crime and insecurity.
The Crime Prevalence Index aims to assess the general level of crime in 135 countries around the world. The crime index is based on several criteria; such as murder, robbery, and rape.
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said it has documented several cases of arbitrary arrests, detention, enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings of civilians, officials, journalists, civil society members, and human rights activists in Tripoli during the past year.
“Under international human rights law, no one may be arbitrarily arrested or detained. Torture-enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings are strictly prohibited, as are abductions and kidnappings,” UNSMIL has said.