UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said his office will step up its work in Libya, and that the human rights situation continues to deteriorate amid widespread violence by armed actors and the ongoing political impasse.
Türk made it clear that the Libyan authorities, armed groups, smugglers and human traffickers should not assume that the eyes of the international community have now left Libya.
Türk stressed the need to redouble efforts to ensure accountability for past violations and to continue monitoring the reality on the ground to prevent future violations.
Türk expressed his support for the fact-finding mission’s recommendation that the Libyan authorities put in place without delay a comprehensive human rights action plan and a victim-centered roadmap on transitional justice and accountability.
Türk stressed the importance of holding national elections and working towards achieving sustainable peace in Libya, expressing his concern about the crackdown on civil society, which he described as repressive.
Türk referred to a government decree from the Government of National Unity declaring all national and international civil society organizations registered after 2011 illegal.
