The National Institution for Human Rights in Libya (NIHRL) has expressed profound dissatisfaction with the continued “ineffective routine meetings” conducted by the committee overseeing the situation of Libyan prisoners abroad. These meetings, held by the Ministry of Justice, most recently include one in Cairo, Egypt, and have been criticized for failing to address the challenges and sufferings faced by these prisoners and their families.
The Institution revealed that the committee’s meetings, both domestic and international, have so far been unproductive in solving the complexities surrounding Libyan prisoners in foreign jails. The committee members have been accused of exploiting the issue for personal financial gains, through decisions regarding foreign missions, supposedly aimed at monitoring the prisoners’ conditions.
The Institution’s statement highlighted the significant neglect in addressing the situations of Libyan prisoners by the Ministries of Justice, and Foreign Affairs, The prisoners, detained in countries like Egypt, Tunisia, Turkey, Italy, China, and others, face numerous obstacles and receive inadequate attention. The statement also pointed out the failure to address the case of Hannibal Gaddafi, detained arbitrarily in Lebanon, emphasizing the lack of serious efforts to alleviate their suffering through judicial cooperation agreements with the respective countries.
The NIHRL called on the Attorney General, the Supreme Judicial Council, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to take over this issue. The Institution urged them to coordinate and cooperate with countries where these prisoners are held. As well as to facilitate their transfer to Libya to complete their sentences, and to resolve their cases through existing judicial cooperation agreements.
The plight of Libyan prisoners abroad remains a pressing human rights issue. The NIHRL emphasized the need for “immediate and effective actions to address their challenges, and uphold their rights under international and domestic laws.”