On Wednesday, the United Nations Support Mission to Libya (UNSMIL) remembered several Libyan journalists who have been killed, kidnapped, detained, or harassed in pursuit of their work.
On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, the UN Mission called for ensuring the protection of journalists and civic space in Libya, adding that “freedom of expression underpins the protection of all other rights.”
Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Libya reaffirmed its commitment to promoting the role of a free and independent press in Libya, and around the world.
“Freedom of expression is a human right, enshrined in Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” it noted.
In May 2022, the Libyan Organisation For Independent Media (LOFIM) issued its annual report, in which it documented violations committed against press freedom in Libya from May 2021 to May 2022.
The report said that the frequency of violations committed against press freedom remained the same. It recorded 14 violations, including 10 attacks against journalists across five Libyan cities.
The violations included enforced disappearance, arbitrary arrests, and physical assault. 40% of these violations occurred in Sirte, 20% in Tripoli and Benghazi, and 10% in Surman and Ajdabiya.
The report also indicated that female journalists in Libya are specifically targeted. 10% of the total violations were conducted against female journalists.
In the same vein, the Libyan Centre for Freedom of the Press (LCFP) indicated that female journalists in Libya are specifically targeted. 10% of the total violations were conducted against female journalists.
The LOFIM added that defamation lawsuits, publishing secret news, inflaming public opinion, and other lawsuits are still being filed against journalists, despite the international condemnations of these laws.
The LOFIM called on all state institutions to protect journalists and media institutions. It also urged the Libyan authorities to “take further steps to protect press freedom and provide an enabling environment for the media.”
It also called on the legislative authority to issue new laws regulating the media in Libya. As well as to “abolish legislation that imposes penalties, including death, for crimes related to the peaceful expression of opinion.”
The report urged the authorities not to try journalists before military courts, and to amend the anti-terror law. “Trying citizens before military courts in opinion cases is a grave breach of Libya’s international obligations to protect freedom of opinion and expression,” the report concluded.
Libya has been experiencing a state of political stagnation since the postponement of last year’s elections. As well as the slow negotiations between the Libyan Parliament and the High State Council (HCS) over laws regulating the upcoming elections.
