INTRODUCTION
February witnessed the continued perpetration of grave violations and international crimes by security and military authorities in both eastern and western Libya against civilians. This occurred amid the authorities’ clear failure to uphold their legal obligations to protect human rights and ensure accountability.
Libya Crimes Watch’s (LCW) field monitoring and documentation team monitored the death of one (1) man after being arbitrarily detained in Qarnada Prison, south of Shahat, and the killing of one (1) man who was shot in the city of Al Zawiya. The field team also documented the arbitrary arrest of four (4) civilians, including a migrant and an election candidate, in Tripoli and Misrata, as well as the abduction of one (1) man in Tripoli.
Additionally, the field team monitored the recovery of eighty-three (83) bodies belonging to migrants found in mass graves in Kufra and Jalu, along with four (4) unidentified bodies suspected to be migrants who died under unclear circumstances in Jalu, Kufra, and Al Zawiya. Thirteen (13) more unidentified bodies, believed to be migrants, were retrieved from the shores of Al Zawiya and Brega. These findings underscore the ongoing violations against migrants and the authorities’ persistent failure to take necessary measures to protect their lives on land and at sea.
LCW holds fully legal for the documented violations this month the General Administration of Security Operations (GASO) – Benghazi branch, affiliated with the Libyan government accredited by the Libyan House of Representatives (HoR); the Military Police and Prisons Administration under the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF); the Rescue Police Department of the Misrata Security Directorate (MSD) under the Ministry of Interior of the Government of National Unity (GNU); The Internal Security Agency (ISA) under the Libyan Presidential council, and the 55th Infantry Battalion under the Ministry of Defence of the GNU. These entities either directly committed the violations, facilitated their occurrence, or failed to prevent them and hold the perpetrators accountable.
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
February 2
LCW monitored the discovery of two (2) unidentified bodies, believed to be migrants, in a remote desert area on the outskirts of Kufra, eastern Libya, on February 2. These bodies were recovered by the Kufra Branch of the Ambulance and Emergency Department and transported to the hospital for legal proceedings.
February 3
LCW monitored the discovery of one (1) unidentified decomposed body, believed to be a migrant, on February 3. In a remote desert area in the Lahrash region of Jalu. Eastern Libya. The body was recovered by the Jalu branch of the Libyan Red Crecent and transported to the hospital for legal proceedings.
February 5
LCW monitored the discovery of three (3) bodies of Bangladeshi migrants1 on the shoreline of Al-Agilah west of Brega, eastern Libya, on February 5. the migrants had drowned after their boat capsized while attempting to reach Europe. The bodies were recovered by the Brega branch of the Ambulance and Emergency Department and transferred to Al-Shaheed Muhammad Al-Maghrief Hospital in Ajdabiya for legal procedures.
February 6
LCW monitored the discovery of ten (10) unidentified bodies of migrants on the shore of the Dila Fishing Port in Zawiya, western Libya, on February 6. The bodies were retrieved by the Libyan Red Crescent – Zawiya branch after their boat, in route to Europe, sank.
On the same day, LCW monitored the killing of Shihab Mahmoud Al-Ganga (18 years old), who was shot dead by unidentified gunmen on Al-Daman Street in central Al Zawiya. To date, the city’s security authorities have not announced any investigation into the incident or efforts to hold the perpetrators accountable.
Also, on February 6, LCW monitored the discovery of a mass grave containing nineteen (19) unidentified bodies of migrants in the Ijkhara area of Jalu, eastern Libya. The bodies were recovered by the Libyan Red Crescent Jalu branch and transferred to the hospital for legal procedures.
February 9
LCW monitored the arbitrary detention of a man2 (1) following his candidacy for the Aziziya Municipal Council elections south of Tripoli, On February 9. The detention was carried out by armed members of the 55th Infantry Battalion under the Ministry of Defence of the GNU in an attempt to pressure him into withdrawing his candidacy. He was taken to an undisclosed location before being released the following day. This incident took place within a broader campaign of intimidation targeting candidates in the Aziziya municipal elections, aimed at forcing them to withdraw.
February 10
LCW documented the arbitrary detention and torture of Adnan Mohammed Al-Sadiq (34 years old), a Pakistani migrant, by members affiliated with the Rescue Police Department of the Misrata Security Directorate (MSD), western Libya, on February 10. The detention was carried out to extort his family into paying a ransom for his release. On February 14, a leaked video circulated on social media, showing the victim being tortured by three members of the department. He was released on February 15, one day after the video surfaced.
February 12
LCW monitored the abduction of a man3 (1) by unidentified armed men, on February 12. His abduction was linked to his online advocacy, where he encouraged people to register and participate in the Aziziya Municipal Council elections. He was taken to an undisclosed location before being released later that same day following social mediation efforts.
February 17
Between February 6 and 17, LCW monitored the discovery of sixty-four (64) unidentified bodies of migrants in mass graves near a human trafficking warehouse in Kufra, eastern Libya. The site was run by a network engaged in migrant smuggling and human trafficking. The bodies were retrieved by the Ambulance and Emergency Department Kufra branch and later reburied following legal procedures.
On the same date, LCW monitored the discovery of one (1) unidentified body, believed to belong to a migrant, in a remote area near Al-Harsha, west of Al Zawiya. The body was recovered by the Libyan Red Crescent Zawiya branch and transferred to the hospital for legal procedures.
Additionally, on February 17, LCW monitored the arbitrary detention of a man4 (1) by the Internal Security Agency (ISA) under the Libyan Presidential Council. He was taken to the ISA’s headquarters in Tripoli, western Libya, on charges of publishing videos deemed as “insulting the national flag”. The ISA later released a video of the victim making a coerced confession, following its long-standing practice of using coerced statements to degrade detainees.
February 19
LCW documented the death of Khamis Mohammed Al-Aqab (54 years old) after he was transferred to the hospital from his detention in Qarnada Prison, south of Shahat, on February 19. He had been arbitrarily detained on November 6 from his home in Al-Marj by the GASO – Benghazi branch, affiliated with the Libyan government accredited by the HoR, under accusations of “practicing witchcraft and sorcery”5.
His body bore signs of torture, including wounds and bruises. Following his death in the hospital, members of the Military Police and Prisons Administration under the LAAF seized the forensic report detailing the cause of death, depriving his family of any official explanation regarding the circumstances of his death.
February 25
LCW monitored the arbitrary arrest of another man6 (1) by the ISA under the Presidential Council, on February 25. He was taken to the ISA’s headquarters in Tripoli on charges of publishing videos considered “insulting to the national flag”. The ISA later published a video of him making a coerced confession, consistent with its ongoing practice of humiliating detainees.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) calls on authorities in both western and eastern Libya to ensure the respect and protection of freedom of expression and the right to peaceful assembly. LCW emphasizes the need to end all forms of persecution or restrictions against individuals for expressing their opinions or participating in peaceful protests and to guarantee their protection from any violations.
- LCW calls on authorities in eastern Libya to immediately halt repression campaigns targeting individuals under the so-called “Anti-Sorcery and Witchcraft” law, as these actions violate international standards and treaties to which Libya is a party. LCW also urges an end to all forms of discrimination and targeting based on religious affiliations and calls for the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed under international law.
- LCW calls on the Libyan Attorney General to launch independent and transparent investigations into all serious human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detentions, and torture in both official and unofficial detention centres, and to ensure that those responsible are held accountable according to international fair trial standards.
- LCW reiterates its call for Libyan authorities to take responsibility for safeguarding the lives of migrants along migration routes in the desert and at sea. It urges cooperation with international organizations to establish effective search and rescue mechanisms to prevent further loss of migrant lives, locate missing persons, and identify the deceased. Additionally, LCW calls for an independent and transparent investigation to uncover those responsible for human trafficking networks and to ensure their prosecution under international fair trial standards.
- LCW urges the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and key international actors to intensify pressure on all parties to respect human rights, work towards transitional justice, reveal the truth, provide reparations for victims, and end the cycle of impunity that enables continued violations.
- LCW calls on authorities in both western and eastern Libya to fulfil their international obligations by surrendering individuals wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to ensure their prosecution under international fair trial standards and to curb impunity.
- Finally, LCW reiterates its call for the ICC Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) to reverse its decision to halt investigations in Libya by the end of 2025, as this would severely undermine accountability efforts and exacerbate impunity.
