Introduction:
November witnessed the continued perpetration of violations and international crimes committed against civilians by security and military forces and armed groups. This occurred amidst a clear failure by authorities in both eastern and western Libya to fulfill their obligations to protect human rights.
The Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) field monitoring team monitored an alarming increase in extrajudicial killings, recording nine (9) cases in Benghazi, Misrata, Tripoli, Ajkharra, Al-Zawiya, Sorman, and Sabha. The victims included two men from Sufi orders and three women.
The field monitoring team also reported two (2) deaths and three (3) injuries due to landmine explosions near Waddan, north of Al-Jufra; one (1) shooting injury in Tripoli; and one (1) case of arbitrary detention in Yefren.
Additionally, during November, the field team monitored the discovery of twenty-four (24) bodies believed to belong to migrants off the coasts of Tobruk, Tripoli, Sirte, and Al-Khums. Thirteen (13) decomposed bodies were also recovered from a mass grave in Tajoura, east of Tripoli, suspected to date back to the 2011 conflict.
LCW emphasizes that these figures represent only the violations monitored by its field monitoring team and may not reflect the full scale of violations during the reporting period.
Details:
November 3rd:
The LCW monitored on November 3, the death of Enas, a Palestinian national, inside an unofficial prison in as Al-Manqar, Benghazi. This facility is affiliated with the General Directorate of Security Operations (GDSO) under the Ministry of Interior of the Libyan government recognized by the House of Representatives (HoR). She had been arrested on November 1 by personnel affiliated to the Directorate, from her home in Al-Marj, on charges of practicing witchcraft and sorcery.
On the same date, LCW monitored the discovery of an unidentified body, believed to belong to a migrant, on the beach in the Kambut area east of Tobruk. The body was transferred to Tobruk Medical Center for further legal procedures.
November 4th:
The LCW monitored on November 4 the arbitrary detention of Areibi Faritas, aged 71, a community leader from Yefren. He was detained by armed personnels of the 130th Infantry Battalion, affiliated with the Ministry of Defense of the Government of National Unity (GNU), following protests in Yefren demanding the withdrawal of armed groups from the city. Faritas was released on November 11 after seven days of detention without any legal procedures.
On the same day, LCW monitored the exhumation of 13 bodies from a mass grave in the Bir Al-Usta Milad area of Tajoura, east of Tripoli. The General Authority for Research and Identification of Missing Persons (GASIMP), affiliated with the GNU, conducted the recovery. The remains are believed to date back to the 2011 conflict and were transferred to forensic authorities for further legal procedures.
November 7th:
On November 7, LCW monitored the injury of four (4) civilians, including one whose leg was amputated, due to a landmine explosion during a sports event in the Titi area near Waddan, north of Al-Jufra. The injured were transported to a hospital for treatment, but one, Ahmed Misbah Al-Koum, succumbed to his injuries after six days.
During the same date, LCW also monitored the discovery of a decomposed, unidentified body believed to belong to a migrant, found on a beach in the Kambut area east of Tobruk. The body was transferred to Tobruk Medical Center for further legal procedures.
November 8th:
On November 8, LCW monitored the death of Ahmed Ali Bashir Al-Sharif, aged 33, following injuries from another landmine explosion during the same sports event in the Titi area, north of Al-Jufra.
November 9th:
The LCW monitored on November 9 the discovery of an unidentified body, believed to belong to a migrant, in a bag near the Nafoura oil field in Ajkharra, south of Ajdabiya. The body was recovered by Al-Wahat Security Directorate and transferred to Jalu Central Hospital for legal processing.
November 11th:
On November 11, LCW monitored the recovery of an unidentified body believed to belong to a migrant on the Wadi Al-Oudah shoreline in central Tobruk. The body was recovered by the Libyan Red Crescent Tobruk branch and transferred to Tobruk Medical Center for legal proceedings.
Additionally, LCW monitored the retrieval of an unidentified body from the sea near Tobruk Port by the General Directorate for Coastal Security in Tobruk and similarly transferred for legal action.
November 13th:
On November 13, LCW monitored the recovery of two bodies of Syrian migrants after a migrant vessel capsized off the coast of Celine near Al-Khums. The bodies were taken to Al-Khums Teaching Hospital for legal procedures.
November 15th:
On November 15, LCW monitored the death of Rassim Mohamed Al-Harari, aged 33, who was fatally shot by members of the 103rd Infantry Battalion, affiliated with the Ministry of Defense of the GNU. His body was found inside his car in the village of Nasser, south of Al-Zawiya.
On the same day, LCW also monitored the death of Ali Rafeh Al-Farjani, aged 19, an Air Defense Academy student in Misrata. Al-Farjani succumbed to injuries sustained from torture inflicted by officers at the academy. He had been hospitalized since November 7 and passed away after eight days due to complications from the torture.
Additionally, LCW monitored on the same date the recovery of six (6) Syrian migrants’ bodies from the sea in Tripoli after their boat capsized. Nine (9) migrants were rescued from a total of twenty-five (25) on board.
November 19th:
On November 19, LCW monitored the death of a woman and the injury of a man after gunmen affiliated with the Stability Support Authority (SSA), under the Libyan Presidential Council, opened fire on their car in the Ghot Al-Shaal area, west of Tripoli.
November 22nd:
The LCW monitored on November 22 the death of Othman Hussein Al-Fitouri, aged 66, from torture in an unofficial prison in Ras Al-Mangar, Benghazi. The prison operates under the GDSO, affiliated with the Ministry of Interior of the HoR backed Libyan government. Al-Fitouri had been detained on November 8 near his home in Al-Lathama district on charges of practicing witchcraft and sorcery.
November 24th:
On November 24, LCW monitored the recovery of two unidentified bodies believed to belong to migrants were discovered on the Ras Wanna shoreline, east of Tobruk. The bodies were transferred to Tobruk Medical Center for legal procedures.
November 25th:
On November 25, LCW monitored the death of Hussein Salem Al-Fazani, aged 57, in an unofficial prison in Ras Al-Mangar, Benghazi, under similar circumstances to Al-Fitouri. The prison operates under the GDSO, affiliated with the Ministry of Interior of the HoR backed Libyan government. Al-Fazani was arrested on November 14 at his home in Ras Aabida, Benghazi, on accusations of practicing witchcraft and sorcery.
On the same day, LCW monitored the recovery of two unidentified migrant bodies that were found on Ras Wanna beach, and they were transported to Tobruk Medical Center for legal proceedings.
November 26th:
On November 26, LCW monitored the death of Saif Al-Haq Mustafa Samhoud, the principal of Sorman Central School. He succumbed to a gunshot wound to the head inflicted by unidentified gunmen on November 14 in central Sorman.
Additionally, LCW monitored the discovery of two (2) bodies of Bangladeshi migrants on Ras Wanna beach and were taken to Tobruk Medical Center for legal proceedings.
November 27th:
The LCW monitored on November 27 the recovery of four (4) bodies of Egyptian migrants from a beach in Ras Lanuf, west of Sirte. The bodies were retrieved by Ras Lanuf Police and local fishermen. Two bodies were taken to a residential clinic, while the others were sent to a hospital in Bin Jawad for further action.
On the same day, LCW monitored the discovery of another body, identified as that of a Bangladeshi migrant, on Um Rukba beach, east of Tobruk. It was transferred to Tobruk Medical Center.
November 29th:
On November 29, LCW monitored the discovery of a Bangladeshi migrant’s body on Kambut beach, east of Tobruk. These followed reports of a migrant boat sinking in the area. The body was taken to Tobruk Medical Center.
Recommendations:
- The Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) calls on the Libyan Attorney General to conduct immediate, independent, and transparent investigations into monitored killings, including deaths in unofficial prisons and torture-related fatalities, ensuring those responsible are held accountable in line with international standards.
- The LCW urges authorities in eastern Libya to halt all forms of targeting individuals based on their religious or intellectual affiliations, guaranteeing their protection from discrimination or assault in accordance with the principles of international human rights law.
- The LCW calls on authorities in both eastern and western Libya to respect and protect freedoms of opinion, expression, and peaceful assembly, ensuring civilians are not prosecuted for participating in peaceful demonstrations or expressing political views.
- The LCW reiterates its demand for Libyan authorities to take responsibility for safeguarding the lives of migrants along migration routes and at sea, to collaborate with international organizations in establishing effective search and rescue mechanisms to prevent migrant fatalities, locate missing persons, and identify victims. Additionally, LCW calls for an independent and transparent investigation to identify those responsible for migrant smuggling and to ensure their accountability in line with international fair trial standards.
- The LCW urges the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and Key international stakeholders in Libya to intensify pressure on all parties in Libya to respect and protect human rights, work towards achieving transitional justice and national reconciliation, and end the state of impunity.
- The LCW renews its calls to the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to reverse its decision to cease investigations in Libya by the end of 2025, ensuring that perpetrators do not escape accountability.
