The Minister of Justice of Al-Wahda breaks her silence regarding “secret prisons” in the Libyan capital
The Minister of Justice in the interim Libyan “National Unity” government, Halima Abdel Rahman, broke her silence and spoke briefly about the human rights situation in the country, confirming the existence of prisons that are not affiliated with her ministry and are “controlled by other parties.”
Libya knew “secret prisons,” run by armed formations spread throughout the country, outside the official framework, after the overthrow of the regime of the late President Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, and the spread of security chaos, but the security and judicial authorities always avoid revealing the fate of these prisons and those in them, with the exception of reports. Local and international.
An inside shot of the prison in the city of Zliten, east of Tripoli (Getty)
The Minister of Justice said in press statements on Monday evening: She “worked to release many detainees to support national reconciliation and state building.” But there are those who do not want national reconciliation to succeed.”
While the minister did not name these “other parties,” those concerned with the human rights file in Libya pointed out “the involvement of armed militias since the overthrow of the previous regime in arresting citizens, expatriates, and irregular immigrants, and placing them in secret prisons.”
Ahmed Abdel Hakim Hamza, head of the National Institution for Human Rights in Libya, spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat about the existence of “at least 8 prisons that are not subject to the Ministry of Justice,” according to information reaching his institution from victims of enforced disappearance who were released in recent periods. .
In a previous report, the international fact-finding mission in Libya stated that “violations committed in secret detention facilities there may amount to crimes against humanity, including torture, murder and rape,” and said: It is investigating reports indicating “violations have occurred in a number of prisons.” , which was announced to be closed, but it is still operating secretly and is under the control of armed militias.
Hamza attributed the reason why the Minister of Justice in the government, headed by Abdul Hamid Al-Dabaiba, is now speaking about prisons that are not under her ministry, to that it is “an attempt to obscure the true extent of the catastrophic reality that the prisons affiliated with it are going through.” To cover up the extent of the Ministry’s failure to improve and address the conditions of prisoners and the correctional and rehabilitation institutions affiliated with the Ministry.
The Minister of Justice revealed that “health committees were unable to pass through some places of detention because they are not affiliated with the Ministry of Justice,” noting that “some judges in the courts were subjected to threats and blackmail; Which forced them to step down from the cases.” The minister also explained that “some prisoners were not brought to the courts to decide their cases, despite years of circulating them,” which human rights activists linked to the case of Abdullah al-Senussi (73 years old), Gaddafi’s son-in-law and former head of the military intelligence service.
Al-Senussi, director of military intelligence during the era of Gaddafi (archive from Reuters)
Al-Senussi was supposed to be presented to the Tripoli Court of Appeal more than once during the past months, but the “Deterrence Force,” an armed militia headed by Abdel Raouf Kara, did not bring him to court, along with Mansour Dhao, the head of security in charge of protecting Gaddafi, so it decided to postpone hearing the case for the first time. Seventh in a row.
A circulating photo of former Libyan intelligence officer Abu Ajila Al-Marimi before his extradition to America
The minister defended her government and said: “Its priorities are to respect human rights and the dignity of the Libyan citizen.” Which she said: “It is sacred and he is tried in his country; “There is no right for any country in the world to assault any Libyan citizen,” in a symbolism that human rights activists saw as a reference to the case of Abu Ajila al-Marimi, the former officer in the External Security Service (intelligence), whose government handed him over to the United States at the end of 2022 for investigation on a “bombing charge.” An American plane over the Scottish city of Lockerbie in 1988.
Despite these justifications given by the Minister. Hamza believes that what he said is “just an attempt to draw attention to other files; In order to reduce the amount of pressure on it,” which he described as a policy of “escape forward.”
The Minister of Justice enumerated what could be called the achievements of her ministry, and said: It presented “a presidential amnesty draft to support national reconciliation and respect for the human rights of some parties,” which is classified by some parties as politicized under the auspices of the Presidential Council, in accordance with its powers granted to it by law.
In its latest report, the National Institution for Human Rights directed harsh criticism at the Ministry of Justice, and found that there are many “grave violations” committed against prisoners and detainees, whether in prisons affiliated with the Ministry of Justice, or other prisons and detention facilities controlled by armed groups.
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights had monitored “several legal and humanitarian violations,” in a previous report titled “Abuse Behind Bars,” and said: “Accurate figures are not available on the number of detainees and detention centers in Libya.” There are also no statistics on detention centers, which are nominally affiliated with the Ministries of Interior and Defense, nor those directly run by armed groups.”
The Minister of Justice concluded by rejecting what she called “selective justice,” and said: “Crimes and violations will not pass without justice, unless they are part of a national reconciliation that meets the aspirations of all Libyans.”
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2023-12-12 23:50:30
