On February 23, Abdelrazeq al-Nadhouri, chief of staff of the forces known as the Libyan National Army (LNA) and the military governor of the region that extends from Derna to Ben Jawwad, repealed his order requiring women who wish to travel abroad to be accompanied by a male guardian and replaced it with a new order imposing travel restrictions on all men and women ages 18 to 45.
The new order specifies that people in that age group need clearance by relevant security agencies ahead of any international travel from eastern Libya.
Justifying these restrictions, the order refers to the “necessity to put in place measures to counter risk from abroad that threaten national security.” Libyan officials in the east should immediately repeal this new order, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said, adding:
"While governments have the authority to restrict travel on an individual basis based on narrow and appealable grounds laid out in law, al-Nadhouri’s order, by its sweeping nature targeting all would-be travelers of a certain age, gravely undermines the right enshrined in international law that entitles everyone to leave any country, including their own, and to return to their country."
(Source: Human Rights Watch)
