UN Human Rights Office says appalled by mass executions in eastern Libya

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said it was shocked by the execution of 11 men in eastern Libya last week following trials before what it described as a “flawed” military court, calling the executions a serious setback and urging an end to the practice.

In a statement posted on Facebook, the UN Human Rights Office said the recent judicial executions were the first of their kind in Libya in 15 years. It stressed that the death penalty is incompatible with the right to life and increases the risk of executing innocent people.

Last Sunday, the Military Prosecutor General’s Office announced that 10 people convicted of what it described as “terrorism-related crimes” had been executed by firing squad.

The executions have sparked controversy over whether they complied with Libya’s applicable laws and judicial procedures, as well as questions over the jurisdiction of military courts in cases involving civilians or terrorism-related offenses.

The UN Human Rights Office did not explain the discrepancy between the number of people it said had been executed and the figure announced by the Military Prosecutor General’s Office.