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Libyan Rights NGO Asks ICC to Probe 'Violations' in Country's West
🇵🇾 Paraguay /Crime & Justice

Libyan Rights NGO Asks ICC to Probe 'Violations' in Country's West

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Under investigation
  • Libya's National Institution for Human Rights (NIHRL) has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate alleged human rights violations in the country's west.
  • The request cites evidence of potential war crimes against civilians during recurring armed conflicts in areas like Zawiya and Surman.
  • The NIHRL stated that Libyan judicial authorities have been unable to investigate these violations, necessitating ICC intervention to protect victims and combat ongoing impunity.

Libya's National Institution for Human Rights (NIHRL) has formally requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor to investigate alleged human rights violations occurring in the western part of the divided nation. The organization cited evidence and information pointing to potential war crimes against civilians amidst recurrent armed clashes.

the pattern and scale of attacks against civilians could amount to war crimes

— National Institution for Human Rights in Libya (NIHRL)Describing the alleged violations submitted to the ICC.

In a statement released Sunday, the NIHRL detailed that its submission to the ICC includes evidence concerning "alleged violations against civilians during repeated outbreaks of armed conflict" in western Libyan cities, particularly Zawiya and Surman. The institution highlighted that the "pattern and scale of attacks against civilians could amount to war crimes."

The NIHRL emphasized that Libya's domestic judicial authorities have proven incapable of investigating these serious allegations. Therefore, the institution deems the ICC's intervention "necessary" to safeguard the rights of surviving victims and to address the "continuous impunity" plaguing the region. The request comes in the wake of significant armed confrontations, including a 12-hour clash on August 4 in Surman involving militias aligned with the Government of National Unity (GNU), which resulted in at least eight deaths and dozens injured.

Libyan national judicial authorities were unable to investigate

— National Institution for Human Rights in Libya (NIHRL)Explaining the need for ICC intervention.

Libya has been mired in instability since 2014, with recurring violent episodes and institutional division. The GNU governs the west, led by Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeiba, while the east is influenced by Marshal Khalifa Haftar. Previous intense clashes, such as those in May 2025 in Tripoli, which saw a dozen deaths and nearly fifty injuries, including the death of influential militia leader Abdel Ghani al Kikli, have further destabilized the country.

to protect the rights of surviving victims

— National Institution for Human Rights in Libya (NIHRL)Stating the goal of ICC intervention amid ongoing impunity.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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