On Tuesday, the US Embassy in Libya voiced its deep concern about the fate of the Libyan passengers traveling from Benghazi to Tripoli. These passengers were illegally detained last week upon arriving at Mitiga Airport.
In a statement, the embassy said, “On the eve of a political solution to the conflict in Libya, the era of missing and murdered civilians must come to an end now”.
The embassy reiterated its strong commitment to allowing all Libyans, including women and youth, to have a voice in their country’s future. It also underscored the importance of establishing a government that is accountable to the Libyan people, rather than allowing corruption and brute force to dictate Libya’s future.
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya, (UNSMIL) stressed the need to release the eastern Libyan individuals. It called for the perpetrators of such abductions to be brought to justice and added that at least one of the kidnapped persons was followed to his destination in Tripoli, and then arrested. Others were allegedly arrested directly at the airport upon their arrival.
UNSMIL also reiterated that all Libyan citizens have the right to freedom of movement. Any illegal infringement of this right is a serious violation of Libya’s obligations under international law.
The UN mission believes that these actions aim to sabotage the good faith efforts to bring Libyans together, following the Geneva ceasefire agreement.