On Saturday the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has welcomed the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet’s decision to appoint three distinguished independent Fact-Finding Mission experts on Libya (FFML), namely: Mohamed Auajjar of Morocco Tracy Robinson of Jamaica and Chaloka Beyani of Zambia and the UK.
In a statement, the UNSMIL added that the appointment of the experts comes at a time when Libyans are in dire need of justice & accountability, reiterating its strong support for a full and impartial investigation into alleged abuses and violations of international humanitarian and human rights law since the start of 2016.
It also called upon relevant Libyan authorities to extend their full cooperation to the FFML as a critical step calls towards ending impunity and preventing further human rights violations and abuses in Libya.
On Wednesday, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said that the deteriorating security situation in Libya and the absence of a functioning judicial system underscored the importance of work by a team of independent experts to document human rights violations and abuses.
The Fact-Finding Mission on Libya was established by the Human Rights Council on 22 June 2020, inter alia, to document alleged violations and abuses of international human rights law and international humanitarian law by all parties in Libya since the start of 2016.
“This body of experts will serve as an essential mechanism to effectively address the widespread impunity for human rights violations and abuses committed, and can also serve as a deterrent to prevent further violations and contribute to peace and stability in the country,” said Bachelet.
Summary executions and other unlawful killings, torture and ill-treatment, gender-based violence, including conflict-related sexual violence, abductions, enforced disappearances, as well as incitement to violence on social media, continue to be committed in a climate of complete impunity, Bachelet said.
She added that human rights defenders, activists, and journalists have also been attacked and have fled the country.