Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) has documented the arbitrary detention of Jumaa Faraj Al-Fitouri (69 years old), Sheikh of the Al-Arousiya Sufi Zawiya, on Sunday, 31 May 2026. Armed personnel affiliated with the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) stormed his home in the Sidi Khalifa area, east of Benghazi, before taking him to an unknown location. He remains forcibly disappeared at the time of publication.
The arrest of Sheikh Jumaa follows, by eight months, the arbitrary detention of his son, Mohammed Jumaa Al-Fitouri, in November 2025, who also remains forcibly disappeared. Prior to his arrest, Sheikh Al-Fitouri had been subjected to sustained threats and harassment by personnel affiliated with the General Directorate of Security Operations (GDSO), which operates under the Libyan Government accredited by the House of Representatives (HoR), before these escalated into his arbitrary detention.
LCW holds the LAAF and the Libyan Government accredited by the HoR fully legally responsible for the arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance of Sheikh Jumaa Al-Fitouri and his son Mohammed, and for their safety and wellbeing.
LCW calls on the authorities in eastern Libya to immediately disclose the place of detention of both individuals, to ensure they are granted access to their families and legal counsel, and to guarantee their unconditional release.
LCW further calls on the authorities in eastern Libya to halt the campaigns of arrest and incitement targeting followers of Sufi orders in Libya, and to ensure respect for the right to freedom of religious practice without discrimination or reprisal.
LCW urges the Office of the Public Prosecutor and the Office of the Attorney General in Benghazi to open urgent, independent, and transparent investigations into the arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance of Sheikh Jumaa Al-Fitouri and his son Mohammed, as well as into the campaigns of incitement and targeting directed against followers of Sufi orders in Libya. LCW further calls for the identification and accountability of those responsible, in accordance with international fair trial standards, and for the prevention of impunity.
