Amnesty International has expressed concern about the abduction of Libyan MP, Hassan Jaballah by a militia affiliated with the Government of National Unity (GNU).
It said in a statement that Jaballah was “isolated from the outside world since his abduction on 27 February 2023, by the Deterrence Apparatus. It is known for committing arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and torture with impunity.”
Amnesty urged the GNU to “ensure the lawmaker is safe from torture.” It also called for his release, or for him to be charged with an internationally recognizable criminal offense.
It also appealed to the government to allow Jaballah access to his family and lawyer, pending his release.
Notably, the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) to Libya expressed its deep concerns over the country’s deteriorating human rights situation.
In its final report, the Mission stated that “there are grounds to believe a wide array of war crimes and crimes against humanity have been committed by state security forces and armed militia groups.”
It noted that investigations “documented numerous cases of arbitrary detention, murder, rape, enslavement, extrajudicial killing, and enforced disappearance.” As well as noting that nearly all survivors interviewed had refrained from lodging official complaints, out of fear of reprisals, arrest, extortion, and a lack of confidence in the justice system.
“Migrants, in particular, have been targeted and there is overwhelming evidence that they have been systematically tortured. The report said there were reasonable grounds to believe that sexual slavery, a crime against humanity, was committed against migrants,” the statement added.
Mohamed Auajjar, the Mission’s chair said that “there is an urgent need for accountability to end this pervasive impunity.”
He also called on Libyan authorities to “develop a human rights plan of action, and a comprehensive, victim-centered roadmap on transitional justice without delay, and hold all those responsible for human rights violations accountable.”