Fighting in recent months between armed groups in western and eastern Libya, as well as in the south, has resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths, mass displacement and acute humanitarian conditions for those trapped in conflict zones, warns a new report issued today by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL). The report documents indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, the abduction of civilians, torture and reports of executions, as well as deliberate destruction of property, among other serious abuses and violations of international law in various parts of the country. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Raad Al Hussein has warned all the parties involved in the fighting that those involved in grave abuses of international human rights and international humanitarian law are criminally liable, including before the International Criminal Court which is investigating the situation in Libya. “As a commander of an armed group, you are criminally liable under international law if you commit or order the commission of grave human rights abuses or fail to take reasonable and necessary measures to prevent or punish their commission,” High Commissioner Zeid has warned. He has urged all those in positions of authority to declare publicly that acts amounting to violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law will not be tolerated.
Posted on: Thu, 25 Dec 2014 11:25:46 +0000