On this day, 17 July 2019, Libyan Member of Parliament Siham Sergiwa was arbitrarily arrested from her home in Benghazi by armed men affiliated with the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF). Since then, her fate remains unknown.
Six years on, authorities in eastern Libya have failed to take any meaningful steps to determine her fate or hold those responsible to account, amid a broader climate of impunity and the breakdown of national justice mechanisms.
Sergiwa’s case is not an isolated incident but part of a wider, systematic and ongoing pattern of enforced disappearances, arbitrary detentions, and abductions targeting independent voices, dissenting individuals, and activists, reflecting the broader context of political repression in Libya.
On this day, which also marks the International Day of Justice, Libya Crimes Watch (LCW) underscores the urgent need to end impunity, ensure justice and redress for victims and their families, and reinforce the role of international justice mechanisms, most notably the International Criminal Court (ICC), in holding perpetrators accountable.
LCW holds the authorities in eastern Libya, including the General Command of the LAAF, legally responsible for the continued enforced disappearance of Siham Sergiwa. We call for the immediate disclosure of her fate and the prosecution of all those involved in this crime.
LCW also urges the ICC to accelerate its investigations into serious human rights violations committed in Libya, including enforced disappearances, and to issue arrest warrants against those responsible, as such acts may amount to crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute.
