INTRODUCTION
The month of April witnessed a continued serious human rights violations and international crimes committed by authorities in both eastern and western Libya, in the context of persistent failure to fulfil their obligations to protect human rights and the ongoing absence of accountability and redress mechanisms.
During the past month, the Field Monitoring and Documentation Team documented the extrajudicial killing of one (1) civilian in the city of Benghazi, as well as the arbitrary detention of three (3) civilians, including a lawyer and a mosque preacher, in the cities of Tripoli and Ubari. The Field Team also recorded the recovery of eight (8) unidentified bodies, believed to belong to migrants, from the shores of the cities of Sabratha, Al-Bayda, Tripoli, and Tobruk. Additionally, three (3) unidentified bodies were recovered from a mass grave in Zillah area north of Al-Jufra.
Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) holds fully legally responsible for the documented cases of extrajudicial killing and arbitrary detention during April 2025: the Military Police and Prison Administration, the 20/20 Battalion of the Tariq Bin Zeyad (TBZ) Brigade affiliated with the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), the General Directorate of Security Operations (GDSO) under the Ministry of Interior of the government accredited by the House of Representatives (HoR), and the Internal Security Agency (ISA) under the Prime Minister’s Office of the same government, the Stabilization Support Apparatus (SSA) affiliated with the Presidential Council, on the basis that these entities either committed, enabled, or failed to prevent or investigate these violations and bring those responsible to justice.
LCW affirms that the violations documented in this report may not fully capture the extent of all violations committed during the reporting period. They represent only those that the Field Monitoring and Documentation Team was able to document. The publication is restricted to violations whose disclosure does not pose a risk to the victims, survivors, or their families.
DETAILS
April 4
LCW documented the death of Fathi Mahmoud Al-Zaeiri, a 66-year-old Tunisian national, inside Al-Kuweifiya Prison in the city of Benghazi, On 4 April 2025, following his arbitrary detention on 4 November 2024. He was detained in front of his shop in the city of Sirte by members of the GDSO under the Ministry of Interior of the government, accredited by the HoR, in coordination with the 20/20 Battalion of the TBZ Brigade affiliated with the LAAF. On 7 April, his family was informed of his death through a phone call from security authorities and later learned that his body had been transferred to the Benghazi Medical Center under an “unidentified” name.
This incident occurred in the context of an ongoing campaign of arbitrary arrests launched by security and military authorities in eastern Libya since the beginning of October 2024, targeting over fifty (50) individuals on allegations of “practising sorcery and witchcraft.” Between November 2024 and February 2025, LCW documented the deaths of four (4) individuals among those detained, including one woman and two men affiliated with Sufi sect.1
April 5
On 5 April, LCW recorded the recovery of one (1) unidentified body, believed to belong to a migrant, found on the shoreline of Sabratha. The body was retrieved by the Libyan Red Crescent, Sabratha Branch and transported to the Sabratha Teaching Hospital for the completion of legal and forensic procedures.
April 8
On 8 April, LCW recorded the discovery of two (2) unidentified bodies, also believed to be migrants, on the shores of Sabratha. The remains were recovered by the Libyan Red Crescent, Sabratha Branch, in cooperation with the Emergency and Ambulance Services and the Sabratha Police Station and transferred to the Sabratha Teaching Hospital for legal processing.
April 10
LCW documented the discovery of one (1) unidentified body, believed to be that of an Egyptian migrant, found on the coastline of the Shaq Abdul Razzaq area in Al-Hamama, north of Al-Bayda. On 10 April, the body was recovered by the Libyan Red Crescent, Al-Bayda Branch, in coordination with the Al-Bayda Emergency Services and the Al-Hamama Police Station and transported to the Al-Bayda Medical Center for legal and forensic procedures.
April 12
On 12 April, LCW documented the arbitrary arrest of lawyer Saleh Mohamed Mzeika (28 years old) by the Souq Al-Jumaa Police Station in Tripoli, after he appeared at the station to file a complaint. He was released on 14 April, after two days of arbitrary detention. His detention was carried out without any legal procedure to lift his immunity as a practicing lawyer.
On the same day, LCW also documented the arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance of the Chairman of the Competitions Committee of the Libyan Football Federation by armed personnel affiliated with the Counter-terrorism Department of the Stabilization Support Apparatus (SSA), which operates under the Presidential Council. The arrest took place in the Abu Salim district of Tripoli, reportedly in connection with the postponement of a football match involving Al-Ahly Club. He was taken to an unofficial detention facility, and released on 15 April, after three days of detention without legal basis.
April 14
On 14 April, LCW recorded the recovery of three (3) decomposed unidentified bodies from a mass grave in the Zillah area, north of Al-Jufra. The bodies were retrieved by the General Authority for the Search and Identification of Missing Persons (GASIMP), operating under the Government of National Unity (GNU), in coordination with the Al-Jufra Police Station, and were transferred to the Forensic Medicine and Remains Recovery Department for further investigation and legal procedures.
April 17
On 17 April, LCW recorded the discovery of two (2) decomposed unidentified bodies, believed to be those of migrants, on the beach of Ain Al Ghazala, west of Tobruk. One of the bodies was recovered by the Libyan Red Crescent, Tobruk Branch and transferred to the hospital for the completion of legal and forensic procedures.
April 21
LCW documented the arbitrary arrest of mosque preacher Khairallah Saleh Al-Zain from his home in the Al-Gharifa area, in the centre of Ubari city, On 21 April, the arrest was carried out by members of the ISA Sebha branch, operating under the government accredited by the HoR.
He was taken to an unofficial detention facility located within the ISA’s premises in Sebha, where he was held without a legal basis. He was released on 23 April, following two days of arbitrary detention.
April 24
On 24 April, LCW recorded the discovery of one (1) unidentified body, believed to belong to a migrant, on the shoreline of Tajoura, east of Tripoli. The body was recovered by the Libyan Red Crescent, Tripoli Branch, in cooperation with the Tajoura Police Station, and handed over to the Emergency and Ambulance Services for transfer to the hospital to complete legal and forensic procedures.
April 27
On 27 April, LCW recorded the recovery of one (1) unidentified body, believed to belong to a migrant, found on the shoreline of Shatt Al-Hanshir in Souq Al-Jumaa, east of Tripoli. The body was retrieved by the Libyan Red Crescent, Tripoli Branch, in coordination with the Souq Al-Jumaa Police Station, and transported to the hospital for the completion of legal procedures.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) renews its call on the authorities in both eastern and western Libya to immediately end arbitrary detention and the systemic targeting of civilians, as these practices constitutes a flagrant violation of fundamental rights. Their continuation only serves to entrench a climate of fear and undermine all efforts toward achieving justice and upholding the rule of law.
- LCW calls on the Libyan Attorney General to initiate independent and transparent investigations into all cases of grave human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, and acts of torture committed in both official and unofficial detention facilities. Those responsible must be held accountable in accordance with international fair trial standards.
- LCW urges authorities in both eastern and western Libya to immediately cease all forms of harassment and targeting of lawyers, and to uphold the independence of the judiciary and respect the legal immunity guaranteed to lawyers under Libyan law and international standards. The continued pattern of such violations constitutes a serious attack on the rule of law and further erodes public confidence in the national justice system.
- LCW reiterates its call on Libyan authorities to assume full responsibility for the protection of migrants along desert and migration routes, and to cooperate with international organisations to establish effective search and rescue mechanisms. These efforts are essential to prevent further loss of life, identify the missing, and determine the identities of the deceased. LCW also calls for an independent and transparent investigation into the perpetrators and networks involved in human trafficking, to ensure accountability in accordance with international fair trial guarantees.
- LCW calls on the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and influential international actors to intensify pressure on all parties to respect human rights, support transitional justice processes, and ensure truth-seeking, reparations for victims, and an end to the prevailing climate of impunity that continues to enable further violations.
- LCW urges authorities in both eastern and western Libya to comply with their international obligations by surrendering individuals indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), thereby ensuring their accountability through internationally recognized fair trial procedures and contributing to the fight against impunity.
- LCW renews its call on the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the ICC to reconsider its decision to end investigations in Libya by the end of 2025, as such a move risk entrenching impunity and encouraging the continued commission of crimes and human rights violations.
