Amnesty International reports that the Internal Security Agency (ISA) in Libya is implicated in serious human rights violations, including torture and enforced disappearances. The proposed 2021 budget from Libya’s Government of National Unity includes funding for the ISA and other abusive militias. Amnesty calls for accountability rather than legitimization, stressing the need for the GNU to halt financial support to these abusive groups and protect victims’ rights.
Members of the Internal Security Agency (ISA), which comprises influential armed groups in eastern Libya, have been reported for severe human rights violations. Amnesty International reveals that these groups employ tactics such as arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, and torture to suppress dissent and opposition, especially against political critics. The Government of National Unity (GNU) is urged to refrain from legitimizing and funding these groups, especially considering their abusive histories.
Libya’s parliament is currently dissecting the government’s 2021 budget proposal, which includes financially supporting militias with known records of abuse like the ISA. Amnesty International emphasizes the need for the GNU to avoid rewarding these militias with legitimacy and state funding. Instead, accountability measures must be implemented against the individuals perpetrating these actions.
Notably, many ISA members are former officers from the Gaddafi regime who have resurged amidst the ongoing turmoil in Libya, operating alongside armed groups affiliated with General Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF). Heba Morayef, Amnesty International’s Regional Director, stated that these armed groups have adopted brutal repression methods, which include abductions, torture, and disappearances, aimed at silencing criticism in eastern Libya.
Through interviews with victims and witnesses, Amnesty revealed that ISA factions have been systematically targeting populations based on tribal affiliations, detaining activists, journalists, and critics of the LAAF. These groups operate in areas like Benghazi and Ajdabiya, where they conduct unlawful abductions and maintain torture facilities, often denying detainees access to legal representation.
Amnesty’s findings include distressing accounts of violence during arrests, with victims reporting physical assaults using firearms and severe beatings. Notable instances include an individual beaten for criticizing COVID-19 measures online and members of the Maghabra tribe suffering abuses linked to their opposition to the LAAF.
Women are not spared from these abuses, exemplified by the detention of Haneen al-Abduli for her public outcry regarding her mother’s assassination. Many detainees face military trials and coercion to renounce criticism of the LAAF, while others live in fear of further abduction or violence against their families.
Furthermore, the ISA exerts control by intimidating political opponents and activists through threats of violence, forcing many to self-censor and refrain from exercising their rights. Various activists have faced multiple summons before eventual abduction, highlighting the oppressive climate in eastern Libya.
The GNU’s budget proposal for 2021 specifically allocates funds that would benefit the ISA and the LAAF significantly, marking a troubling trend of legitimizing abusive militias instead of enforcing accountability. A total of 260 million LYD (approximately 57 million USD) is proposed for the ISA, with additional funds allotted to other notorious militias operating within the GNU framework.
The background reflects a fragmented Libya with a longstanding division between various entities seeking control since 2014. The ISA arose in response to the LAAF’s territorial claims, merging Gaddafi-era affiliates within its ranks. The transitional governance led by the GNU has struggled to manage myriad armed factions that continue to impact stability profoundly.
The situation in Libya, specifically concerning the Internal Security Agency and its historical ties to previous oppressive regimes, underscores the urgent need for the Government of National Unity to reconsider its financial support for abusive militias. Addressing these severe human rights abuses requires a commitment to accountability and a cessation of legitimizing groups engaged in violent repression. Efforts to improve the human rights landscape must include genuine protection measures for victims and active opposition to further abuses perpetrated by armed groups.
Original Source: www.amnesty.org
