Tripoli, 15 May 2014 - The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) received a reply to a letter of protest sent by the Mission to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the detention of Mr. Ahmed Ghanem, Senior Rule of Law Officer, upon entering the Al-Hadhba complex in order to attend a trial session.

The letter stressed the Libyan authorities’ commitment to the Status of Mission Agreement (SoMa) between the Libyan State and the United Nations with respect to the privileges and immunities of the Mission. UNSMIL has received a verbal apology from senior Libyan officials, emphasizing the important role of the United Nations in Libya.

UNSMIL was dismayed by the detention of Mr. Ghanem for an hour and a half as well as what followed in terms of defamation and false accusations through some social media pages. The Mission affirms that it scrupulously respects the Libyan authorities’ legal, security and administrative procedures when its representatives attend trials.