{"id":25730,"date":"2025-04-05T13:26:13","date_gmt":"2025-04-05T11:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lcw.ngo\/en\/?p=25730"},"modified":"2025-04-05T13:26:16","modified_gmt":"2025-04-05T11:26:16","slug":"report-human-rights-violations-in-libya-during-march-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lcw.ngo\/en\/blog\/report-human-rights-violations-in-libya-during-march-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"REPORT: HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN LIBYA DURING MARCH 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

INTRODUCTION<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019 ongoing and systemic failure to fulfill their obligations to protect human rights and ensure accountability. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019 failure to take the necessary measures to protect their lives on land and at sea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

DETAILS<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 8 <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 9<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 13<\/strong>\u00a0

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u2019s demographic structure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abeid\u2019s 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\u2019s office was unlawfully demolished without due legal process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 20 <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 23 <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 24 <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 25 <\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

March 27<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

RECOMMENDATIONS<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n