Libya: Five human rights activists illegally abducted by two Katibas in Tripoli

04 Jul 2013

Yesterday, at dawn, five human rights activists, including one minor, were arrested in Tripoli by members of Katibas without any legal basis.

Abdel Al Manay, Abdel Al Djadaimy, Al Hadje Abou Saadah, Abdel Douwah and Fouad Issa, aged 17, were arrested by an armed group claiming to belong to the Al-Sawa'iq (الصواعق كتيبة) and Al-Qa'qa' (كتيبة القعقاع) Katibas (revolutionary groups) who stated they were working under the authority of the Ministry of Defence.

On Thursday 4 July, at around 3 am, Mr Abou Saadah was released and informed us that when the group was arrested, the five were blindfolded, and taken to separate, unknown locations.

Abou Saadah was detained in an unknown place with Mr Al Manay, who was brutally tortured. The families of the four others still detained remain unaware of their current situation.

Alkarama is extremely concerned at this incident, and fears that the arrest of the five individuals might be the result of their activities as human rights activists.

Today, we requested the urgent intervention of the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders to urge the Libyan government to release the four activists who remain in detention or present them to a prosecutor in order that they be tried in accordance with all internal and international law guarantees immediately.

We also ask the Libyan Minister of Defence to urge the Katibas which are under its control to respect domestic and international human rights legislation.

Given the current situation and the large number of torture cases that continue to be reported to us in Libya, committed by both governmental and non-governmental groups, we also recommended the UN expert visit Libya and provide the Libyan authorities with guidance and recommendations on how to combat this practice in the country.

Libya