Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) has published its monthly report for May 2025, documenting a concerning escalation in human rights violations across multiple regions of Libya.
Armed groups, security agencies, and official forces were linked to a wave of civilian deaths, arbitrary detentions, mistreatment of detainees, and abuse of migrants, amid a near-total absence of accountability or protection mechanisms.
According to the field monitoring team, twelve civilians, including four women, were killed in Tripoli as a result of indiscriminate shelling and gunfire during armed clashes between rival factions. Fourteen others, including a child, were injured. Two healthcare facilities were damaged in the attacks, raising serious concerns about the targeting of civilian infrastructure.
In the cities of al-Bayda and Tripoli, two civilians were killed in separate incidents of extrajudicial execution. Three protesters were injured in Tripoli when armed personnel opened fire on demonstrations demanding government accountability and improved living conditions. Arbitrary arrests were also reported, including the detention of a Sudanese activist and a Libyan poet.
The report also documented the deaths of 36 migrants, including women and children. Eighteen bodies were found in desert areas near Kufra and Murzuq, while another eighteen were recovered from the coastlines of Misrata, Sorman, and Sabratha. The deaths were linked to dehydration, exposure, and dangerous smuggling routes.
Responsibility for these incidents was attributed to several parties: military units affiliated with the Libyan Arab Armed Forces in the east, including the Tariq Bin Ziyad Brigade; internal security bodies tied to the eastern-based government; and armed groups operating under the Government of National Unity, including the 444 Brigade, 111 Brigade, Deterrence Apparatus, and Stability Support Authority.
Further violations include the case of a detainee who died due to medical neglect at the Qarnada military prison, the discovery of mass graves containing unidentified migrants, and attacks on civilians during periods of intense fighting in Tripoli following the killing of a controversial security figure.
Libya Crimes Watch is calling for immediate, independent investigations into all documented abuses. The organization urged the Libyan Attorney General and international institutions, including the ICC, to take concrete action. The report concludes that the impunity enjoyed by perpetrators is fueling a continued cycle of violence, repression, and fear.
