A group of seven international human rights organisations has urged the United Nations Human Rights Council member states to continue to support the independent Fact-finding Mission (FFM) on Libya.

The group includes the Human Rights Watch (HRW), Amnesty International (AI), and Lawyers of Justice in Libya (LFJL), and International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH).

Others are Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS), International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), and the Women International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF).

The organisations urged member states to demonstrate their commitment to accountability for past and ongoing violations in Libya by renewing the mission’s mandate.

Impunity for past and ongoing violations and abuses of international human rights law and international humanitarian law drives violence and longstanding instability in the country.

It is understood that armed groups and security forces continue to carry out extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, sexual and gender-based violence, and arbitrary arrest and detention throughout Libya.

With its current mandate set to expire by 30 September, the mission, which began effective operations in June 2021, will present its findings to the Human Rights Council on 07 October.

Due to the Covid-19 outbreak and the restrictions related to it, the mission has had limited access to the country.

‘Failure to renew the FFM’s mandate will send a dangerous message to actors in Libya that the international community is not committed to ensuring accountability for past and ongoing human rights violations and abuses, and could encourage further crimes and lawlessness during this critical period’, the group said.

Source: Human Rights Watch

Photo source: Richard Potts