Libya militias 'Out of Control' according to Amnesty

In 2011, a bloody uprising in Libya eventually led to the fall of Gadaffi and his regime which had ruled the country with an iron fist for 42 years. A year on and a new report from Amnesty International says that Libya militias are out of control. Amnesty gathered the evidence obtained within the report when they visited 11 detention centres in January and February 2012.

The new report details human rights abuses including torture and illegal detainments. Amnesty also says that war crimes are also being committed by militia against people suspected of being Gaddafi loyalists.

The 38-page report details how militia captured 1000s of suspected Gaddafi loyalists and how many of them were either tortured or otherwise ill-treated, some died as a result of the torture. Revenge attacks were also carried out by militia, say Amnesty, and the homes of some of those thought loyal to Gaddafi were looted and burned.

12 months on, the detention of people continues. Amnesty says that this is done "outside any legal framework" and those detained are held "in secret detention centres before handing them over to other facilities run by officially or semi-officially recognized military or security entities".

Earlier this year, Amnesty interviewed some of the victims of the torture. The detainees were held in the capital Tripoli, al-Zawiya, Gharyan, Misratah, and Sirte. Amnesty also spoke to the families of people who had died during their detention. Details of the torture inflicted against those suspected of remaining loyal to the Gaddafi regime are horrific.

Detainees told how they were whipped for hours with everything from whips to metal chains. They also say that they were given electric shocks and Taser-like weapons. Amnesty says that medical reports verify the use of torture on detainees who had died and the injuries observed are consistent with the testimonies given.

Amnesty also details how sub-Saharan Africans foreign nationals continue to be detained. They also say that they were tortured. Amnesty has notified the National Transitional Council about the reports of torture.

In one account detailed in the report, a former soldier gave this account of what happened to him when he was detained:

"...they forced me to lie on my back on a bed and my hands and legs were tied to the frame. In this position was beaten with fists on my face. Then they beat me with a plastic hose on my feet. Later, I had to turn around face-down and was tied again to the bed. In that position, I was beaten again with a hose on my back and on the head. I was also subjected to electric shocks to various parts of my body including my left arm and chest. The instrument they used was a black stick about 50cm long. My cousin was also subjected to electric shocks.

“The torture lasted until about 3am. Then they put us in a vehicle and drove us back to the road to Tripoli, where they left us.”

Pictures of the injuries were received as results of torture were given to Amnesty. Amnesty International is calling for an end to arbitrary detentions and for the closure of all of the places where unofficial detentions take place. They also call for the families to be notified where someone has been detained and for the humane treatment of detainees.

Amnesty International Senior Crisis Response Adviser Donatella Rovera said:

“Militias in Libya are largely out of control and the blanket impunity they enjoy only encourages further abuses and perpetuates instability and insecurity.

“A year ago Libyans risked their lives to demand justice. Today their hopes are being jeopardised by lawless armed militias who trample human rights with impunity. The only way to break with the entrenched practices of decades of abuse under Colonel al-Gaddafi’s authoritarian rule is to ensure that nobody is above the law and that investigations are carried out into such abuses.

“Militias with a record of abuse of detainees should simply not be allowed to hold anyone and all detainees should be immediately transferred to authorised detention facilities under the control of the National Transitional Council.”