On Monday, Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, emphasised that his office will “intensify its work on Libya, where the human rights situation is deteriorating due to widespread armed conflict, protracted political impasse, and tightening restrictions on civic space.”
In June 2020, the Human Rights Council formed the Independent Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Libya. Once the FFM’s operations came to a close, it turned over its records and the material it had gathered to the UN Human Rights Office.
“Libyan government officials, armed groups, smugglers, and human traffickers shouldn’t believe that the international community has suddenly turned its attention elsewhere. It is essential that we step up our efforts to ensure accountability for prior violations, and keep an eye on the situation on the ground to stop new infractions,” according to Türk.
The UN Human Rights Office should “establish a distinct and autonomous mechanism with an ongoing mandate to monitor and report on gross human rights violations in Libya, with a view to supporting Libyan reconciliation efforts and assisting the Libyan authorities in achieving transitional justice and accountability,” according to the FFM’s final report. The High Commissioner declared that he agreed with this suggestion.
“Regulations concerning civil society should respect the fundamental rights of freedom of assembly and association, not suffocate and criminalise the work of those working for a rights-based future for Libya,” Türk added.
