Introduction:
September witnessed a notable increase in human rights violations and crimes across Libya. Security and military apparatuses, along with armed groups, continued to commit violations and crimes against civilians, while Libyan authorities in both the east and west failed to fulfill their obligations to respect and protect human rights.
During this month, our field monitoring team documented twenty-seven (27) cases of arbitrary detention in Zliten, Tripoli, Bani Walid, Sabratha, Tarhuna, Al-Marj, and Benghazi. These detentions included civilians, minors, and a journalist. Some of the victims’ families and homes were subjected to assault, threats, and intimidation.
The monitoring team also recorded the discovery of ten (10) bodies of migrants in Sabratha, Tobruk, Tripoli, Sorman, and Garabulli. Additionally, they documented the death of three (3) migrants resulting from a traffic accident involving an overcrowded human trafficking vehicle.
The LCW emphasizes that these figures represent only what has been documented by the field monitoring team and do not necessarily reflect the full extent of violations that occurred during the reporting period.
Details:
September 1st:
The LCW documented the arbitrary detention of at least twelve (12) civilians, including two (2) minors, in the city of Zillah, southeast of Sirte, by the Internal Security Agency’s (ISA) Houn branch. The detentions occurred following their participation in a demonstration supporting the former regime.
According to witnesses, on Friday, September 6, the detainees were transferred to Benghazi via aircraft from Al-iufra Military Base. Contact with them has since been lost, and they remain in detention to date.
September 2nd:
The LCW monitored the recovery of two (2) unidentified bodies from the coast of Sabratha by the Sabratha branch of the Red Crescent. The bodies were transferred to Sabratha Teaching Hospital to complete legal procedures.
September 3rd:
The LCW documented the arrest of seven (7) civilians from Sabratha, Bani Walid, Tarhuna and Tripoli by the ISA Tripoli branch.
The arrests were related to their participation in demonstrations supporting the former regime on September 1st. The agency published a video of the detainees’ confessions on its official social media pages.
On the same date, two (2) bodies were recovered from the coast in the Bab Al-Zeitoun area east of Tobruk, one identified as a Syrian migrant. These discoveries came after reports of a migrant boat sinking that had departed from the same area heading towards Europe. Nine (9) migrants were rescued out of thirty-two (32) who were on board.
Two (2) additional bodies, believed to be from the same boat, including one of a Syrian woman, were found in Egypt’s Matrouh Governorate.
September 7th:
The LCW documented the discovery of one (1) decomposed, unidentified body near the seashore in the Gargaresh area of Tripoli, believed to be a migrant. The body was recovered by the Tripoli branch of the Red Crescent and transferred to the hospital to complete legal procedures.
September 12th:
The LCW documented the arbitrary detention of four (4) civilian men in Al-Marj, eastern Libya, by armed individuals affiliated with the 115th Infantry Battalion led by Abdel Fattah Abdel Razzaq Al-Nazouri, which is part of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF).
The detentions targeted Osama Salem Khattab, Muhannad Fathi Al-Aish, Munsif Ahmed Al-Aish, and Muhannad Abu Ruwaiq. The victims’ families were threatened and assaulted, and personal belongings were confiscated. The detainees were transferred to the General Staff Headquarters of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces in Al-Marj.
Three (3) members of the Khattab family were also arbitrarily detained: Salem Khattab, Ayman Salem Khattab, and Othman Al-Abdali.
They were arrested by the Military Police of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces after attempting to file a report at the Farzugha Police Station in the suburbs of Al-Marj regarding their son’s detention. They were also taken to the General Staff Headquarters in the city.
After 3 days, Salem Khattab and Othman Al-Abdali were released, while the other five (5) victims remain in detention to date.
On the same date, one (1) decomposed, unidentified body was found on the beach in Sorman, believed to be a migrant. It was recovered by the Sorman branch of the Red Crescent and transferred to Sorman General Hospital to complete legal procedures.
September 13th:
The LCW documented the death of three (3) and injury of fourteen (14) Sudanese migrants in the Al-Uwaynat area south of Al-Kufra city in southern Libya. The incident resulted from a traffic accident involving an overcrowded human trafficking vehicle. All were transferred to Attia Al-Kasah Martyr Hospital in Al-Kufra for treatment of the injured and completion of legal procedures for the deceased.
September 18th:
The LCW documented the arbitrary arrest of journalist Ikram Rajab by the ISA in Benghazi after she left her home in the Al-Salmani neighborhood.
A day after her arrest, her home was forcibly raided, her family assaulted, and personal belongings were confiscated. The journalist remains arbitrarily detained.
September 24th:
The LCW monitored the discovery of one (1) decomposed unidentified body, believed to be a migrant, on the shore of Garabulli city, west of Tripoli. The body was retrieved by the Red Crescent Tripoli branch and transferred to the Ambulance and Emergency Service for legal procedures
September 27th:
The LCW documented the discovery of three (3) migrant bodies on the shore of Ain Al-Ghazala, west of Tobruk. Two were identified as Syrian nationals, one a minor. These discoveries followed reports of a migrant boat sinking after departing from the area towards Europe. Eleven (11) migrants were rescued out of twenty-five (25) Syrian and Egyptian nationals on board. The survivors were transferred to a migrant detention center in Benghazi.
Recommendations:
- The Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) demands that the Government of National Unity (GNU), the Libyan Presidential Council, and authorities in eastern Libya, including the House of Representatives and the General Command of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) Stop campaigns of arbitrary arrest and detention, Cease attacks on detainees’ families. and immediately release all arbitrarily detained individuals and disclose the fate of those forcibly disappeared.
- The LCW calls on authorities in eastern and western Libya to respect and protect freedom of opinion, expression, and the right to peaceful assembly, and to ensure civilians are not prosecuted for participating in peaceful demonstrations or expressing their political views.
- The LCW renews its call for Libyan authorities to take responsibility for saving migrants’ lives along migration routes and at sea, to develop effective search and rescue mechanisms to stop the loss of migrant lives and to locate and identify missing individuals. LCW also demands an independent and transparent investigation to uncover those responsible for migrant smuggling and ensure accountability for those involved.
- The LCW urges the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) to pressure all parties in Libya to respect and protect human rights, work towards transitional justice and national reconciliation, and end the state of impunity.
- The LCW renews its calls for the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to reconsider its decision to halt investigations in Libya by the end of 2025, to ensure perpetrators do not escape justice.
