SUMMARY
February 2026 witnessed a concerning increase in serious violations against civilians across Libya, most notably unlawful killings and arbitrary arrests, alongside the continued grave violations against migrants. This reflects the ongoing failure of the authorities in both eastern and western Libya to take effective measures to protect civilians, as well as their failure to open prompt and credible investigations that lead to accountability for perpetrators. This has further entrenched impunity and weakened prospects for justice and guarantees of non-recurrence.
During this month, Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) documented the killing of five (5) civilians, including two children and one woman, in incidents involving direct shootings, indiscriminate gunfire, and death because of medical negligence in detention. Additional casualties occurred in the context of armed clashes and the explosion of remnants of war in civilian areas. These incidents were recorded in Tripoli, Al-Zawiya, Al-Khums, and Sorman.
In the context of war remnants, LCW also documented the injury of four (4) children in Tripoli following the explosion of unexploded ordnance they had found in a residential area. In a separate incident, one (1) medical facility, as well as other civilian facilities and homes, were damaged as a result of armed clashes that erupted in the city during the month.
With regard to arbitrary detention, LCW documented the arrest of eight (8) civilians, including three members of the Tebu community and three protesters, in the cities of Tripoli, Benghazi, and Al-Marj. The arrests were linked to participation in peaceful demonstrations and criticism of the authorities in both eastern and western Libya. In addition, LCW documented the assault of one (1) political activist in Tripoli in relation to statements attributed to her criticising violations committed by a security agency against migrants.
Within the framework of systematic grave violations against migrants, patterns of death along smuggling and human trafficking routes continue. During February, LCW documented the recovery of fourteen (14) bodies believed to be those of migrants, including a girl and a woman, on the shores of the cities of Derna, Al-Khums, Misrata, Al-Zawiya, and Al-Bayda. This constitutes a clear indicator of the continued failure of the Libyan authorities to take the necessary measures to protect the lives of migrants along migration routes.
Through analysis of the documentation, LCW found that the authorities in eastern and western Libya bear both direct and indirect responsibility for the violations documented during this month. This includes responsibilities extending to the leadership of armed groups and security agencies, including the 111th Brigade, the 137th Battalion, and the Sixth Force affiliated with the Ministry of Defence of the Government of National Unity (GNU); The Public Security and Security Positions Apparatus (PSSA) affiliated with the Ministry of Interior of the same government; the Intervention and Control Force affiliated with the Council of Ministers; and the Judicial Police affiliated with the Ministry of Justice. LCW also documented responsibilities attributed to the Internal Security Agency (ISA), affiliated with the Libyan Government and accredited by the House of Representatives (HoR), and to the Benghazi Security Directorate, affiliated with the Ministry of Interior of the same government.
LCW holds the GNU and the Libyan Government, accredited by the HoR, legally responsible for the violations documented during this month, on the basis that the security agencies and affiliated armed groups that committed them operate under their authority, or that they were complicit in their commission, or failed to prevent them and protect their victims.
LCW calls on the authorities in eastern and western Libya to take immediate and effective measures to protect civilians from the impact of military operations, to safeguard the lives of migrants along migration routes, and to investigate the violations committed against them and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice. LCW also renews its call on the Libyan Attorney General to open urgent, independent investigations into all violations documented this month and to ensure accountability for those responsible.
LCW reiterates that the cases included in this report do not necessarily reflect the full scale of violations committed during the month. Rather, they represent only those cases that the LCW field team was able to verify in accordance with LCW’s documentation methodology, with full adherence to confidentiality, privacy, informed consent, and the assessment of risks associated with the publication of information.
DETAILS
February 11
On 11 February, Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) documented the discovery of one (1) unidentified, decomposed body believed to belong to a migrant, found on the seashore in the Al-Haneya area near the city of Al-Bayda. The body was recovered by the Libyan Red Crescent – Coast Branch team and handed over to the local authorities to complete the legal procedures.
February 12
LCW documented the injury of one (1) child who sustained minor wounds from bullet fragments while inside his home in the Janzour area, west of Tripoli, on 12 February, during armed clashes that erupted in residential neighbourhoods between the 137th Battalion and the Sixth Force, affiliated with the Ministry of Defence of the Government of National Unity (GNU).
In the same context, LCW recorded material damage to Al-Diyaa Clinic in Janzour as a result of shell fragments, while it was accommodating patients and medical staff inside, without resulting in casualties. Homes and other civilian facilities in the surrounding area were also damaged.
On the same date, 12 February, LCW documented the killing of the child Areen Shawqi Al-Saadawi (9 years old) after she was shot along with her father near their home in the city of Sorman by unidentified armed individuals travelling in a tinted vehicle. She was killed immediately, and the perpetrators fled the scene.
Also on 12 February, LCW documented the killing of Amira Mohammed Al-Tajouri (37 years old), who was struck by a bullet of unknown origin to the head while she was in a car with her husband and children on the coastal road in the city of Al-Zawiya.
February 15
LCW documented, on 15 February, the discovery of one (1) unidentified, decomposed body believed to belong to a migrant on the seashore in the Al-Mutrad area of the city of Al-Zawiya. The body was recovered by the Libyan Red Crescent – Al-Zawiya Branch and transferred to Al-Zawiya Teaching Hospital to complete the legal procedures.
February 20
On 20 February, LCW documented the killing of Al-Hadi Ali Abu Saloua near his workplace in the city of Sorman after he was shot by unidentified armed individuals travelling in a civilian vehicle, who fled the scene immediately after the incident.
February 21
On 21 February, LCW documented the arbitrary arrest of the poet Faiez Ali Emazzib (54 years old) by armed individuals affiliated with the ISA. His home in the outskirts of the city of Al-Marj was raided, and he was taken to an unofficial place of detention at the agency’s headquarters in the city of Benghazi. Contact with him was subsequently lost until his release the following day, 22 February, following tribal interventions and human rights advocacy efforts in which LCW participated.
Emazb’s arrest followed his appearance in a video circulated on social media platforms in which he criticised members of the prosecution offices and security agencies affiliated with the authorities in eastern Libya. In the video, he criticised malicious complaints, unjust rulings, corruption, and the role of such practices in the spread of arbitrary arrests and the impunity of wanted individuals.
On the same date, 21 February, LCW documented the discovery of seven (7) unidentified bodies, including a woman and a girl, believed to belong to migrants, on the seashore in the Qasr Al-Akhyar area near the city of Al-Khums. The Qasr Al-Akhyar Police Station recovered the bodies in cooperation with the Special Tasks Department of the General Administration of Security Operations, affiliated with the Ministry of Interior of the GNU.
Also, on 21 February, LCW documented the arbitrary arrest of the actor Faraj Abdulkarim (55 years old) in the city of Benghazi by armed individuals affiliated with the Benghazi Security Directorate, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Interior of the Libyan Government, accredited by the HoR. He was taken to the Directorate’s headquarters and released several hours later.
His arrest followed criticism expressed through a satirical television programme in which he performs, addressing the mismanagement of security agencies in the country. The programme was subsequently prevented from airing, without publicly stated reasons.
February 23
LCW documented the arbitrary arrest of three (3) civilians from the Tebu community on 23 February, following a raid on their home in the Airport Road area of Tripoli by armed individuals affiliated with the 111th Brigade, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Defence of the GNU. They were taken to an undisclosed location, contact with them was lost, and they remain subjected to enforced disappearance at the time of publication of this report.
February 24
On 24 February, LCW documented the discovery of two (2) unidentified bodies, one of them an infant, on the seashore in the Al-Dafniya area of Misrata, believed to belong to migrants. The bodies were recovered by the Libyan Red Crescent – Misrata Branch and transferred to the hospital to complete the legal procedures.
On the same date, LCW documented a raid on the farm of Manal Hussein Abu Ameed, General Coordinator of the National Accord Parties Alliance and member of the Structured Dialogue, in the Al-Karimiyah area of Tripoli by armed individuals travelling in military vehicles affiliated with the PSSA, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Interior of the GNU. Abu Ameed and her family were subjected to intimidation and threats until the perpetrators left the farm around midnight.
Prior to the raid, Abu Ameed had published a statement on her Facebook page, indicating that she had been threatened by an official from the agency who ordered her to delete statements attributed to her on social media platforms, in which she had criticised the agency’s violations against migrants in the Al-Karimiyah area.
February 25
On 25 February, LCW documented the death of Abdel Latif bin Ahmed bin Al-Haj (27 years old), from Algeria, due to pulmonary tuberculosis while in detention at the New Main Reform and Rehabilitation Institution (B) (“Jdeida Prison”), which is under the supervision of the Judicial Police, affiliated with the Ministry of Justice of the GNU. LCW also documented signs of torture on the victim’s body.
The Judicial Police issued a statement on its official Facebook page denying reports that bin Al-Haj died due to medical negligence while in detention. The statement said he was receiving continuous medical care in accordance with approved standards and added that the institution’s management is committed to providing humane detention conditions in line with health, ventilation, and nutrition standards.
February 26
LCW documented the injury of four (4) children who sustained moderate to minor wounds on 26 February, following the explosion of a shell from remnants of war found inside their farm in the Khallat Al-Farjan area, south of Tripoli. The shell is believed to date back to the conflict in Tripoli between 2019 and 2020. The children were taken to Abu Salim Accident Hospital to receive necessary treatment.3
February 27
On 27 February, LCW documented the killing of the child Laith Mohammed Muammer Abu Ghafah (11 years old) in the Qasr Al-Akhyar area near the city of Al-Khums, following the explosion of a shell from remnants of war found in the street near his home while he was playing with friends. He suffered severe injuries and died immediately.
February 28
On 28 February, LCW documented the discovery of four (4) bodies of migrants in the open sea near the city of Derna, following the sinking of their boat, which was headed to Greece and carrying thirty-one migrants. The bodies were recovered by the Libyan Red Crescent – Derna Branch, while eighteen others on the same boat were rescued. Nine remain missing at the time of publication of this report.
On the same date, LCW documented the arbitrary arrest of three (3) civilians from Martyrs’ Square in central Tripoli by armed individuals affiliated with the Intervention and Control Force, which is affiliated with the Ministry of Interior of the GNU. The arrests followed their participation in a peaceful march in the city centre protesting the deteriorating living conditions and calling for the government’s removal.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) calls on the authorities in eastern and western Libya to take all necessary measures to prevent the recurrence of clashes and indiscriminate attacks in populated areas, and to reduce the risks posed by remnants of war. LCW also urges the Libyan Attorney General to open independent and transparent investigations into indiscriminate attacks on populated areas and civilian facilities, which endanger the lives of civilians, and to publicly share the results while ensuring accountability of those responsible in line with international standards for a fair trial.
- LCW calls on the authorities in eastern and western Libya to respect fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed under international human rights law, including the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the right to peaceful assembly. LCW further urges an immediate halt to arbitrary arrests and the systematic targeting of activists and peaceful dissenters, as these practices constitute serious violations of fundamental rights, foster a climate of fear, and perpetuate a culture of impunity.
- LCW urges the Libyan Attorney General to open independent and transparent investigations into all serious human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, abductions, and the conditions within official and unofficial detention facilities, ensuring that those responsible are held accountable in accordance with international standards for a fair trial.
- LCW reiterates its call on the Libyan authorities to assume responsibility for protecting the lives of migrants along migration routes across the desert and at sea, and to cooperate with relevant international organisations to establish effective search and rescue mechanisms, work with international rescue organisations, determine the fate of the missing, and ensure the identification of human remains. LCW also calls for independent and transparent investigations into drowning incidents and violations related to human trafficking, and for those involved to be held accountable in line with international standards of responsibility.
- LCW calls on the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to continue and expand its ongoing investigations into the situation in Libya, and to issue additional arrest warrants, particularly against senior-level officials. LCW further urges the Office to intensify pressure on the Libyan authorities to fulfil their legal obligations to cooperate with the Court, implement arrest warrants, and surrender suspects, in light of the persistent lack of will, capacity, and effectiveness of national judicial mechanisms, and their inability to conduct investigations and prosecutions in accordance with the complementarity principle under the Rome Statute.
- LCW reiterates its call on the United Nations Human Rights Council (HRC) and its member states to appoint a Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Libya, to fill the gap left after the conclusion of the mandate of the independent fact-finding mission (FFM), and to ensure continued monitoring and investigation of serious violations and identification of those responsible, thereby supporting accountability pathways and limiting impunity.
- LCW calls on the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and relevant states to increase pressure on all parties to respect human rights, actively pursue transitional justice, uncover the truth, provide reparations to victims, and end the culture of impunity that sustains ongoing violations.
