Libyan video showing killings slammed

Leading international rights groups on Thursday condemned a video that recently went viral on social media purportedly showing a man shooting and killing 10 people at close range in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, near the site of last week’s massive twin car bombing.

The International Criminal Court prosecutor issued a renewed appeal yesterday to Libyan authorities to arrest the commander wanted by the court for war crimes.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty said the shooter appears to be Libyan commander Mahmoud Al Warfalli. HRW said the killings shown in the video would “constitute war crimes” while Amnesty International said the video shows “the horrifying consequences of the rampant impunity that exists in Libya”.

Blindfolded

In the video, the shooter, a man in military uniform, is seen standing before 10 blindfolded people in blue jumpsuits who are on their knees, hands tied behind their backs. He then opens fire with a machine gun, shooting each man in the head.

Earlier, the UN mission in Libya expressed its alarm over the killings and said the ICC has “documented at least five similar cases, in 2017 alone, carried out or ordered by Al Warfalli”. Along with Amnesty, the UN mission in Libya demanded the immediate handover of Al Warfalli.

Al Warfalli heads an antiterrorism unit under Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar, who commands Libya’s army based in the country’s east.