Martin Kobler on the occasion of the Human Rights Day: End Human Rights Abuses in Libya

10 Dec 2015

Martin Kobler on the occasion of the Human Rights Day: End Human Rights Abuses in Libya

10 December 2015 - Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya Martin Kobler called for ending of the grave human rights violations and abuses devastating the lives of so many in Libya, on the occasion of World Human Rights Day.

“I take today’s opportunity to call on all Libyan stakeholders to respect human rights”, SRSG Kobler said. “The Libyan Political Agreement includes strong human rights provisions. It is a good basis for starting to rebuild unified state institutions based on the respect of the rule of law and human rights.”

“UNSMIL continues to document the human rights situation in the country and intervene in individual cases where possible” said Claudio Cordone, Director of UNSMIL’s Human Rights, Transitional Justice and Rule of Law Division. “Today we are also assisting the courageous initiative of Misrata and Tawergha to discuss the modalities for implementing the right of return of the Tawerghans to their homes – a dialogue that should be an example to others in Libya.”

Note to correspondents:

Violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including indiscriminate attacks, unlawful killings, abductions, torture and other forms of ill-treatment, continue to be committed by all sides of the Libyan conflict. Civilians bear the brunt of the ongoing fighting while human rights defenders seeking to shed light on abuses are subjected to violent attacks and intimidation. Migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees remain among the groups most susceptible to abuses in Libya at a time when the justice system, where it still functions, is failing to ensure accountability.

Latest report on Human Rights situation in Libya:
http://unsmil.unmissions.org/Portals/unsmil/Documents/Joint%20OHCHR%20UNSMIL%20report%2016%2011%2015%20EN.pdf