Libya Crimes Watch urges UN intervention to halt military executions in eastern Libya

Libya Crimes Watch has called on three UN special rapporteurs to intervene over the execution by firing squad of at least 16 people in eastern Libya in August following trials before military courts, according to a statement by the organization.

The appeal was addressed to the UN special rapporteurs on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; the independence of judges and lawyers; and the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism.

The organization said its request was based on evidence and testimonies documented by its field team, which revealed widespread violations, including withholding case files from lawyers and families, failing to notify relatives in advance of executions, imposing restrictions on the identification and burial of bodies, and denying families access to forensic reports and death certificates. Some relatives were also allegedly subjected to security surveillance.

The organization warned that the resumption of executions after a suspension lasting nearly 16 years, particularly following military trials that lacked fundamental fair-trial guarantees, amounted to an arbitrary deprivation of the right to life.

It called for urgent intervention to press the authorities to immediately halt all death sentences in eastern Libya and have the cases reviewed by independent and competent courts. It also called for impartial investigations into the alleged violations and protection for the victims’ families and lawyers against retaliation.

Haftar’s forces announced in late August that 10 defendants convicted in cases they said were related to terrorism had been executed by firing squad. The announcement drew widespread domestic and international criticism.

Human rights organizations later said another group of prisoners had been executed without an official announcement, after their families received notifications informing them that the death sentences against their relatives had been carried out.