UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Press briefing notes on Libya, 24th April
Successive horrific incidents this week have illustrated the severity of the human rights situation in Libya.
We have been shocked by the appalling loss of life in the Mediterranean Sea, following the reported deaths of several hundred individuals seeking to escape the violence in Libya.
Many of those fleeing Libya are migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in an extremely vulnerable situation in Libya. Amidst the violence and breakdown in law and order, they are at risk of killings, torture, abduction, and physical assault.
Detention of such individuals in Libya is also widespread and prolonged. Following visits to a number of detention centres, the human rights division of the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has reported conditions of grave concern including chronic overcrowding, poor sanitation, health care, and insufficient food. The division also received consistent reports of physical or verbal mistreatment, labour exploitation, sexual violence, and confiscation of identity documents.
Also this week, reports were received of the death of several members of the Al-Harir Al-Mansouri family in Derna, Libya by individuals affiliated with the so-called Islamic State in Libya . It is reported that armed men attacked the family's residence after Ibrahim Al-Harir al-Mansouri resisted arrest.
Three members of the family were publicly hanged in the city. We understand that the public nature of these murders was intended to send a message to those challenging the so-called Islamic State in Libya.
