International community urges investigation following discovery of multiple deceased individuals at Libyan detention facilities
In the wake of ghastly discoveries, the United Nations is demanding an immediate, unbiased investigation into the atrocities unfolding at militia-controlled detention centers in Tripoli, Libya.
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, voiced his dismay on Wednesday over the revelation of grave human rights violations at sites managed by the Libyan militia, SSA. Türk emphasized the urgent need to halt access to these sites and ordered Libyan authorities to initiate prompt, fair, and transparent investigations.
Established in 2021, the SSA (Stabilization Support Apparatus) is an all-encompassing group of militias prominent in western Libya. The SSA has faced recurrent allegations of brutal acts and human rights abuses, stemming from the chaos plaguing the country since the downfall of Moammar Gadhafi's regime more than a decade ago.
Türk reiterated that these findings reflect the long-standing conclusions reached by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the previous UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission. He described the horrors uncovered, including torture and enforced disappearances, as alarming yet predictable.
Between May 18 and May 21, Türk's office received chilling reports detailing the excavation of 10 charred bodies at the SSA headquarters in the Abu Salim neighborhood of Tripoli. An additional 67 bodies were found in refrigerators at Abu Salim and Al Khadra hospitals, with some remains reportedly decomposing due to power outages.
A burial site was also reportedly found at Tripoli Zoo, under SSA control. The identities of the victims remain unclear, though various tools of torture and potential evidence of extrajudicial killings were found nearby. "Our worst assumptions are coming true," Türk somberly stated.
Türk underscored the crucial need to preserve evidence at the sites. "It's imperative that those behind these heinous acts face justice swiftly, conforming to international standards," Türk urged.
Türk expressed unease over the inability of Libyan forensic authorities to access the sites for exhumation and identification purposes, urging unfettered access. He voiced his intentions to collaborate with Libya in documenting the violations, fulfilling the UN's mandate.
The High Commissioner criticized the spreading of "shocking imagery and footage" of the sites on social media, advocating for the sanctity of the victims' dignity and the rights of their families.
The grim revelations follow the assassination of SSA leader Abdulghani Kikli in May and the subsequent conflicts between security forces and armed groups. These confrontations led to protests calling for an end to the violence in Tripoli, which Türk observed were met with excessive force, resulting in civilian and police officer casualties and property damage, including hospitals.
This situation raises "significant concerns regarding the protection of fundamental freedoms of speech and assembly, as well as the maintenance of civic space," Türk warned.
Libya has grappled with a political predicament since the ousting of the oppressive dictator Gaddafi in 2011, spawning a proliferation of armed groups across the nation. Although a ceasefire agreement in October 2020 brought a brief respite, Libya continues to be divided between competing armed groups vying for control of the capital.
- The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the previous UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission's long-standing conclusions on Libyan militias' human rights abuses are being validated by the current general-news stories, which include details of torture and enforced disappearances.
- In the realm of crime-and-justice, Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has urged for swift and just action against those responsible for the heinous acts uncovered at militia-controlled detention centers in Tripoli, Libya, emphasizing that such actions must conform to international standards.
