UN cite evidence of war crimes in Libya
INVESTIGATORS commissioned by the UN’s top human rights body have said they turned up evidence of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in Libya.
They found that, in particular, crimes were committed against civilians and migrants who crossed the North African country trying to get to Europe – but ended up detained in horrific conditions.
The first findings from a “factfinding mission” commissioned by the Human Rights Council chronicle crimes including murder, torture, enslavement, extrajudicial killings and rape.
They could send a potent signal to key international powers, such as Russia and the European Union, amid violence and mistreatment that has hit Libya since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi a decade ago.
“Our investigations have established that all parties to the conflict, including third-state foreign fighters and mercenaries, have violated international humanitarian law, in particular the principle of proportionality and distinction,” said Mohamed Auajjar, a former Moroccan justice minister who led the team.
“Some have also committed war crimes.”
The principle of distinction requires parties to armed conflicts to distinguish between military objectives and civilian objects, while the principle of proportionality dictates that parties to war must ensure that incidental damage is not excessive.
The experts cite reports indicating that the Libyan coastguard – which has been trained and equipped by the EU as part of efforts to stanch the flow of
Libya. Investigators commissioned by the UN said they have turned up evidence of possible war crimes and crimes against humanity, in particular against migrants migrants across the Mediterranean – has mistreated migrants and handed some over to detention centres where torture and sexual violence are “prevalent”.
“It’s quite clear that the pullback policies, the push-back policies, at sea have led to huge violations of human rights on the part of migrants leading to detention in Libya,” said Chaloka Beyani, a London School of Economics law professor from Zambia, one of the three members of the mission.