Agenda Item 6: Universal periodic review
Adoption of reports by the Universal Periodic Review Working Group of - Libya A/HRC/46/17, A/HRC/46/17/Add.1
Statement by: International-Lawyers.Org
Delivered by Claudia González / GICJ
16 March 2021
Thank you, President,
We welcome the report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review of Libya and while looking forward to its adoption, we express our concern over the persisting human rights violations and serious breaches of international law that have caused hundreds of civilian casualties.
We believe independent judicial mechanisms need to be established to investigate, prosecute and punish perpetrators of these serious crimes committed in the country since the intervention of NATO in 2011.
Libya’s justice system has thousands of detainees continuing to be held in prolonged arbitrary detention without charges. This, coupled with the lack of independent mechanisms to lodge complaints for alleged torture in detention centers, is of extreme concern. As recommended in the Outcome Report, we encourage Libyan authorities to take legislative and vigorous practical measures to eradicate torture and ill-treatment, and set in place early detection mechanisms.
Additionally, the situation of migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons is particularly worrying, as they continue to be subject to arbitrary detention, torture, abduction for ransom, extortion, forced labor and sexual violence by smugglers, traffickers, armed groups and State officials. As this was a subject of several recommendations, we urge Libyan authorities to take action to halt these violations and to immediately ratify the Convention on the Status of Refugees.
Further, it is regrettable that Libya has not taken any step towards the ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and we urge the new authorities in Libya to ratify this statute and other relevant human rights instruments.
International Lawyers and Geneva International Centre for Justice emphasize the important role of transitional justice and reiterate our call for the establishment of effective judicial and reparation mechanisms to deliver justice to all victims and hold perpetrators accountable. Impunity for the serious violations committed against the Libyan people since 2011 must be ended.
Thank you.
Justice, Human rights, Geneva, geneva4justice, GICJ, Geneva International Centre For Justice
