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Libya’s militias should not run prisons: UN chief
UNITED NATIONS, United States, Jan 11, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – UN Secretary-
General Antonio Guterres is urging the Libyan government to bring all prisons
under its control and free from the grip of militias, some of whom run
migrant-smuggling networks.
Guterres said in a report to the Security Council released Thursday that
torture and arbitrary detention is widespread in Libya.
About 6,400 detainees are held in 26 official prisons but “thousands of
others” are being held in facilities with little government control or
“directly run by armed groups,” said the report.
“I remain deeply concerned about widespread human rights violations and
abuses committed in the context of detention and the prolonged arbitrary
detention of thousands of men, women and children without due process,” wrote
Guterres.
The government must protect detainees against torture and “all prisons must
be under effective government control and free of any influence or
interference of armed groups,” he added.
Libya descended into chaos following the 2011 overthrow of Moamer Kadhafi
that has seen a bitter rivalry emerge between two governments scrambling for
control in the oil-rich north African country.
The United Nations backs the government in Tripoli but is working toward
holding elections, possibly this year, to unite the country.
Guterres also reported that an increase in the number of migrants and
refugees who were detained over the past six months was a result of more
interceptions at sea and the closure of sea routes to migrants.
About 5,300 refugees and migrants have been detained in Libya of whom 3,700
were in need of international protection, he said.
In all, there are over 669,000 migrants in Libya, of whom women and
children make up 21 percent, according to the report.
BSS/AFP/GMR/0904 hrs