INTRODUCTION
The month of March witnessed a continuation of grave violations and international crimes committed by security and military authorities in both eastern and western Libya against civilians. These abuses persist amid the authorities’ ongoing and systemic failure to fulfill their obligations to protect human rights and ensure accountability.
the field monitoring and documentation team recorded the arbitrary detention of eleven (11) civilians, including two lawyers, two public figures, a candidate for municipal council elections, and the brother of a political activist, in the cities of Al-Marj, Tripoli, Benghazi, and Zliten. Additionally, the field team documented the recovery of six (6) unidentified bodies, believed to be those of migrants, along the shores of Al-Zawiya, highlighting the ongoing violations against migrants and the authorities’ failure to take the necessary measures to protect their lives on land and at sea.
During March, the field team observed a disturbing escalation in arbitrary detentions and forced deportations targeting migrants in three cities in western Libya. This increase in violations follows inflammatory statements issued by officials from both the eastern and western authorities, as well as local activists and residents. It has also observed the closure of the offices of at least seven (7) international organisations in Tripoli and Misrata and has monitored the summoning and interrogation of no fewer than ten (10) of their local staff members.
Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) holds the Ministry of Interior of the Government of National Unity (GNU), the Internal Security Agency (ISA) under the Libyan government accredited by the House of Representatives (HoR), the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), and the ISA and Libyan Intelligence Service (LIS) under the Presidential Council fully legally responsible for the documented cases of arbitrary detention this month. These entities are accountable for either perpetrating these violations, facilitating their occurrence, or failing to prevent them and prosecute those responsible.
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
March 8
On March 8, Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) documented the discovery of one unidentified body, believed to be that of a migrant, at Espan Port in Al-Zawiya. The body was recovered by the Libyan Red Crescent, Al-Zawiya branch, and transferred to the hospital for legal procedures.
March 9
On March 9, LCW documented the arbitrary re-detention of five (5) men from Al-Marj by members of the ISA, Al-Marj branch, operating under the Libyan government accredited by the HoR. The men were detained just seven days after their release and were taken back to a detention facility in Benghazi controlled by the ISA.
The five victims had initially been arbitrarily detained on September 12, 2024, by armed personnel affiliated with the 115th Infantry Battalion of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF). They were held in an unofficial detention site at the ISA headquarters in the Sidi Hussein area of Benghazi before being released on February 28, 2024.
March 13
Since March 13, LCW has been closely monitoring a wave of arbitrary arrests targeting hundreds of migrants, following raids on their homes in several cities, including Tripoli, Misrata, and Sabratha. The raids were conducted by security forces affiliated with the Ministry of Interior of the GNU, including Libya’s Directorate for Combatting Illegal Migration (DCIM) and the Sabratha Security Directorate. The detainees were then transferred to detention centres under the control of the DCIM in Tripoli.
This crackdown follows a series of incendiary statements issued by authorities in both eastern and western Libya, alongside a marked increase in hate speech against migrants on social media platforms. Local protests and campaigns inciting violence further escalated the situation, calling for the expulsion of migrants under the false pretext that they posed a threat to the country’s demographic structure.
Also, On March 13, LCW documented the arbitrary detention of lawyer Mounir Abeid (56 years old). He was arbitrarily detained at his workplace on Al-Wehda Al-Arabiya Street in Benghazi by armed personnel affiliated with the ISA under the Libyan government accredited by the HoR and was transferred to an unofficial detention facility at the ISA headquarters in Sidi Hussein, where he remains arbitrarily detained.
Abeid’s detention came after he filed a complaint with the Attorney General of Benghazi and the South Benghazi Prosecution Office against the head of the Municipal Guard, Abdulmonem Al-Mahshoush, for intimidation and imposing restrictions on lawyers accessing their offices at Al-Muhaib Law Firm, where he was employed. Following his detention, the law firm’s office was unlawfully demolished without due legal process.
March 20
Between March 15 and March 20, LCW recorded the discovery of five (5) unidentified bodies, believed to be those of migrants, at Espan Port in Al-Zawiya. The bodies were recovered by the Libyan Red Crescent, Al-Zawiya branch and transferred to the hospital for legal procedures.
March 23
On March 23, LCW documented the arbitrary detention of two elders from the Al-Jawazi tribe, Mansour Samhoud Al-Jazawi (60 years old) and Saleh Younis Al-Hajjar (46 years old), in Benghazi by armed personnel affiliated with the LAAF. Their detention occurred shortly after they had participated in a meeting with the President of the Libyan Presidential Council in Tripoli. The two were taken to an undisclosed location, and after seven days of arbitrary detention, they were released on March 30 without any legal proceedings.
March 24
On March 24, LCW documented the arbitrary detention of Ramadan Musbah Al-Shawash, a candidate for the municipal elections in Zliten. He was arbitrarily detained in the city center by armed personnel affiliated with the ISA under the Libyan Presidential Council and was taken to an undisclosed location, where he was subjected to enforced disappearance. He was released the following day without any legal proceedings.
March 25
On March 25, LCW documented the arbitrary detention of Mohamed Salem El-Gomati (44 years old), the brother of political activist Hossam El-Gomati, who resides in Sweden. His home in Tajoura, east of Tripoli, was raided by armed personnel affiliated with the National Security Unit of the LIS under the Presidential Council. El-Gomati was arrested and taken to an unknown location, where he remains a victim of enforced disappearance to this day.
March 27
On March 27, LCW monitored the arbitrary detention of lawyer Mohamed Abdel Qader Al-Toumi (74 years old) by individuals affiliated with the ISA of the Libyan Presidential Council. His detention occurred after he provided consultations to international organizations working in the field of migrant support and care. His office in the Al-Zahra area of Tripoli was raided, and he was taken to the ISA’s headquarters in the Al-Duraybi area in the center of the city. He was released after 7 hours on the same day.
In this context, LCW has documented escalating threats and intimidation directed at the partners and collaborators of these organisations. Since the beginning of March, LCW has been closely monitoring a concerted campaign orchestrated by the ISA against international organisations dedicated to supporting and protecting migrants. As part of this crackdown, at least seven (7) organisational offices in the cities of Misrata and Tripoli have been forcibly shut down, while no fewer than ten (10) local staff members have been summoned and subjected to prolonged interrogations by the ISA.
RECOMMENDATIONS
- Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) holds the authorities in both eastern and western Libya fully accountable for the protection of migrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and all vulnerable groups from hate speech, violence, and potential human rights violations. LCW urges them to take immediate and effective action to ensure their protection and to prevent any form of incitement or discrimination against these groups.
- LCW also calls on the Libyan Attorney General to launch comprehensive investigations into incidents of assaults and violations against migrants, to pursue those who incite hatred and violence against them, and to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable in accordance with national laws and Libya’s international obligations.
- LCW calls on the authorities in Libya, particularly the ISA, to immediately reverse the decision to suspend the operations of international organisations and ensure the unrestricted resumption of their activities. These measures undermine humanitarian efforts and put the lives of the most vulnerable groups at greater risk. LCW also urges the Libyan authorities to put an end to all forms of intimidation and persecution against humanitarian and civil society workers, and to guarantee the protection of the freedom to conduct humanitarian and civil work in accordance with international standards.
- LCW calls on the authorities in both Eastern and Western Libya to immediately cease all forms of harassment and targeting of lawyers and members of the judiciary. The authorities must uphold judicial independence and respect the legal immunity granted to them under Libyan laws and international standards. The continued violations represent a grave assault on the rule of law and further erode trust in the national judiciary.
- LCW further urges the authorities in both Eastern and Western Libya to immediately halt the arbitrary detention and systematic targeting of civilians, particularly opponents, activists, and their families. This constitutes a blatant violation of fundamental rights, and the persistence of such practices perpetuates an atmosphere of fear while undermining any efforts toward achieving justice and respecting the rule of law.
- LCW calls on the Libyan Attorney General to initiate independent and transparent investigations into all cases of serious human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, and torture within both official and unofficial detention facilities. The authorities must ensure that those responsible for these violations are held accountable in accordance with international fair trial standards.
- LCW reiterates its demand for the Libyan authorities to take responsibility for saving the lives of migrants along migration routes in the desert and at sea, and to cooperate with international organisations to establish effective search and rescue mechanisms. These efforts must stop the loss of migrant lives, locate the missing, and identify the deceased. Additionally, LCW calls for an independent and transparent investigation into those responsible for human trafficking networks, ensuring that those accountable are held to justice in line with international fair trial standards.
- LCW urges the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and concerned international actors to intensify pressure on all parties to respect human rights, work toward transitional justice, and ensure the truth is revealed and victims are compensated. The continued culture of impunity must end to prevent the ongoing violations.
- LCW demands that the authorities in Eastern and Western Libya comply with their international obligations by handing over individuals wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to ensure accountability in accordance with international fair trial standards, reducing the phenomenon of impunity.
- LCW renews its calls for the Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) at the International Criminal Court (ICC) to reconsider its decision to suspend investigations in Libya by the end of 2025, as such a decision could contribute to entrenching impunity and encourage further crimes and violations.
