| LIBYA Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishtirakiyah al Uzma Joined United Nations: 14 December 1955 Human Rights as assured by their constitution Click here Updated 03/04/10 |
| CAPITAL |
| POPULATION |
| CHIEF OF STATE |
| SELECTION PROCESS |
Tripoli
6,324,357
note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2009 est.)
note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2009 est.)
al-Baghdadi Ali al-Mahmudi
Secretary of the General People's Committee
(Prime Minister) since 5 March 2006
Secretary of the General People's Committee
(Prime Minister) since 5 March 2006
National elections are indirect through a hierarchy of people's
committees;
Next scheduled election: Unknown
committees;
Next scheduled election: Unknown
HEAD OF GOVERNMENT
SELECTION PROCESS
National elections are indirect through a hierarchy of people's
committees; Head of Government elected by the General
People's Congress; election last held 1 March 2009
Next scheduled election: N/A
committees; Head of Government elected by the General
People's Congress; election last held 1 March 2009
Next scheduled election: N/A
| DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS |
| ETHNIC GROUPS |
Berber and Arab 97%, other 3% (includes Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians)
| RELIGIONS |
Sunni Muslim 97%, other 3%
| GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE |
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in practice, an authoritarian state with 25
municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Legal system is based on Italian and French civil law systems and Islamic law; separate
religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Executive: National elections are indirect through a hierarchy of people's committees; head of government elected by the General People's
Congress; election last held 1 March 2006 (next to be NA)
Legislative: Unicameral General People's Congress (approximately 2,700 seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of
people's committees)
Judicial: Supreme Court
municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Legal system is based on Italian and French civil law systems and Islamic law; separate
religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Executive: National elections are indirect through a hierarchy of people's committees; head of government elected by the General People's
Congress; election last held 1 March 2006 (next to be NA)
Legislative: Unicameral General People's Congress (approximately 2,700 seats; members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of
people's committees)
Judicial: Supreme Court
| LANGUAGES |
Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities
| BRIEF HISTORY |
In ancient times, the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, the armies of Alexander the Great and his Ptolemaic successors from Egypt,
then Romans, Vandals, and local representatives of the Byzantine Empire ruled parts of Libya. The territory of modern Libya had
separate histories until Roman times, as Tripoli and Cyrenaica. Tripoli was originally a group of Phoenician colonies dependent on
Carthage. Carthage and its dependencies all fell to Rome during the course of the three Punic Wars. Tripoli is the ancient sea port at
the terminus of three great caravan routes linking the coast with Lake Chad and Timbuktu across the Sahara. Cyrenaica, by
contrast, was already heavily colonized by the Greeks centuries before it became a Roman province. It was also known as
Pentapolis, the "five cities" ; being Cyrene (near the village of Shahat) with its port of Apollonia (Marsa Susa), Arsinoe (Tocra),
Berenice (Bengazi) and Barca (Al Marj). From the oldest and most famous of the Greek colonies the fertile coastal plain took the
name of Cyrenaica. In 647 an army of 40,000 Arabs, led by ‘Abdu’llah ibn Sa‘ad, the foster-brother of Caliph Uthman ibn Affan,
invaded western Libya. Tripoli was taken from the Byzantines, followed by Sufetula, a city 150 miles south of Carthage, where the
Exarch Gregory was killed. Gregory's successor, Gennadius, promised them an annual tribute of some 330,000 nomismata.
Gennadius also sent the usual surplus of revenues over expenditures to Constantinople, but otherwise administered Africa as he
liked. When Gennadius refused to pay the additional sums demanded from Constantinople, his own men overthrew him. Following
the revolt, Gennadius fled to Damascus and asked for aid from Muawiyah, to whom he had paid tribute for years. The caliph sent a
sizable force with Gennadius to invade Africa in 665. Even though the deposed exarch died after reaching Alexandria, the Arabs
marched on. The Byzantines dispatched an army to reinforce Africa, but its commander Nicephorus the Patrician lost a battle with
the Arabs and reembarked. Uqba ibn Nafi and Abu Muhajir al Dinar did much to promote Islam and in the following centuries most
of the indigenous peoples converted. In 750 the Abbasid dynasty overthrew the Ummayad caliph and shifted the capital to
Baghdad, with emirs retaining nominal control over the Libyan coast on behalf of the far-distant caliph. In 800 Caliph Harun ar-
Rashid appointed Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab as his governor. The Aghlabids dynasty effectively became independent of the Baghdad
caliphs, who continued to retain spiritual authority. The Aghlabid emirs took their custodianship of Libya seriously, repairing Roman
irrigation systems, restoring order and bringing a measure of prosperity to the region. By the beginning of the 15th century the
Libyan coast had minimal central authority and its harbours were havens for pirates. Habsburg Spain occupied Tripoli in 1510, but
the Spaniards were more concerned with controlling the port than with the inconveniences of administering a colony. Ferdinand V
took Tripoli and in 1528 gave it to the Knights of St John of Malta. In 1538 Tripoli was reconquered by a pirate king called Khair
ad-Din (known more evocatively as Barbarossa, or Red Beard) and the coast became renowned as the Barbary Coast. When the
Ottomans arrived to occupy Tripoli in 1551, they saw little reason to rein in the pirates, preferring instead to profit from the booty. It
would be more than two centuries before the pirates' control of the region was challenged. Under the Ottomans, the Meghreb was
divided into three provinces, Algiers, Tripoli and Tunis. After 1565, administrative authority in Tripoli was vested in a pasha
appointed by the sultan in Constantinople. The sultan provided the pasha with a corps of janissaries, which was in turn divided into a
number of companies under the command of a junior officer or bey. The janissaries quickly became the dominant force in Ottoman
Libya. In 1711, Ahmed Karamanli, an Ottoman cavalry officer, seized power and founded the Karamanli dynasty, which would last
124 years. In May 1801 Pasha Yusuf Karamanli demanded from the United States an increase in the tribute ($83,000) which that
government had paid since 1796 for the protection of their commerce from piracy. The demand was refused, an American naval
force blockaded Tripoli, and a desultory war dragged on until 3 June 1805. In 1835, the government of Sultan Mahmud II took
advantage of local disturbances to reassert their direct authority and held it until the final collapse of the Ottoman Empire. As
decentralized Ottoman power had resulted in the virtual independence of Egypt as well as Tripoli, the coast and desert lying
between them relapsed to anarchy, even after direct Ottoman control was resumed in Tripoli. Over a 75 year period the Ottoman
Turks provided 33 governors and Libya remained part of the empire-- although at times virtually autonomous-- until Italy invaded in
1911, as the Ottoman Empire was collapsing. The attempted Italian colonization of the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania and
Cyrenaica was never wholly successful. On October 3, 1911, the Italians attacked Tripoli, claiming somewhat disingenuously to be
liberating Libya from Ottoman rule. Despite a major revolt by the Libyans, the Ottoman sultan ceded Libya to the Italians by signing
the 1912 Treaty of Lausanne. Tripoli was largely under Italian control by 1914, but both Cyrenaica and the Fezzan were home to
rebellions led by the Senussis. 150,000 Italians settled in Libya. In 1920 (25 October) the Italian government recognized Sheikh
Sidi Idris the hereditary head of the nomadic Senussi, with wide authority in Kufra and other oases, as Emir of Cyrenaica, a new
title extended by the British at the close of World War I. The emir would eventually become king of the free Libyan state. In 1944,
Idris returned from exile in Cairo but declined to resume permanent residence in Cyrenaica until the removal in 1947 of some
aspects of foreign control. Under the terms of the 1947 peace treaty with the Allies, Italy relinquished all claims to Libya. In July
1999 the Italian government offered a formal apology to Libya and it is reported that Italy agreed to pay USD $260 million as
compensation for the occupation. On November 21, 1949, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution stating that Libya should
become independent before January 1, 1952. Idris represented Libya in the subsequent UN negotiations. When Libya declared its
independence on December 24, 1951, it was the first country to achieve independence through the United Nations and one of the
first former European possessions in Africa to gain independence. Libya was proclaimed a constitutional and a hereditary monarchy
and Idris was proclaimed king. The discovery of significant oil reserves in 1959 and the subsequent income from petroleum sales
enabled what had been one of the world's poorest countries to become extremely wealthy. Although oil drastically improved Libya's
finances, popular resentment grew as wealth was increasingly concentrated in the hands of the elite. On September 1, 1969, a small
group of military officers led by then 28-year-old army officer Mu'ammar Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi staged a coup d'etat against King
Idris, who was exiled to Egypt. The new regime, headed by the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC), abolished the monarchy
and proclaimed the new Libyan Arab Republic. The new RCC's motto became "freedom, socialism, and unity." It pledged itself to
remedy "backwardness," take an active role in the Palestinian Arab cause, promote Arab unity, and encourage domestic policies
based on social justice, nonexploitation, and an equitable distribution of wealth. The new government negotiated the Americans to
evacuate the base from Libya. As a result US military forces was forced to leave Libya and close Wheelus Air Base. Qadhafi
rejected both Soviet Communism and Western capitalism and claimed that he was charting an independent course, portraying
himself as a champion of "oppressed peoples" and Third World nations seeking to assert their independence on the international
stage. In the 1970s, Libya claimed leadership of Arab and African revolutionary forces and sought active roles in international
organizations. In 1974, Libya and Tunisia briefly planned to merge and create the Arab Islamic Republic. Libyan military adventures
in Chad failed, e.g., the prolonged foray of Libyan troops into the Aozou Strip in northern Chad was finally repulsed in 1987, when
extensive US and French help to Chadian rebel forces and the government headed by former Defence Minister Hissan Habré finally
led to a Chadian victory in the so-called Toyota Wars. U.S.-Libyan relations quickly deteriorated following the inauguration of U.S.
President Ronald Reagan in January 1981. Libya was accused in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie,
Scotland, UN sanctions were imposed in 1992. UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs) passed in 1992 and 1993 obliged
Libya to fulfill requirements related to the Pan Am 103 bombing before sanctions could be lifted, leading to Libya's political and
economic isolation for most of the 1990s. The US rescinded Libya's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism in June 2006.
Source: Wikipedia: History of Libya
then Romans, Vandals, and local representatives of the Byzantine Empire ruled parts of Libya. The territory of modern Libya had
separate histories until Roman times, as Tripoli and Cyrenaica. Tripoli was originally a group of Phoenician colonies dependent on
Carthage. Carthage and its dependencies all fell to Rome during the course of the three Punic Wars. Tripoli is the ancient sea port at
the terminus of three great caravan routes linking the coast with Lake Chad and Timbuktu across the Sahara. Cyrenaica, by
contrast, was already heavily colonized by the Greeks centuries before it became a Roman province. It was also known as
Pentapolis, the "five cities" ; being Cyrene (near the village of Shahat) with its port of Apollonia (Marsa Susa), Arsinoe (Tocra),
Berenice (Bengazi) and Barca (Al Marj). From the oldest and most famous of the Greek colonies the fertile coastal plain took the
name of Cyrenaica. In 647 an army of 40,000 Arabs, led by ‘Abdu’llah ibn Sa‘ad, the foster-brother of Caliph Uthman ibn Affan,
invaded western Libya. Tripoli was taken from the Byzantines, followed by Sufetula, a city 150 miles south of Carthage, where the
Exarch Gregory was killed. Gregory's successor, Gennadius, promised them an annual tribute of some 330,000 nomismata.
Gennadius also sent the usual surplus of revenues over expenditures to Constantinople, but otherwise administered Africa as he
liked. When Gennadius refused to pay the additional sums demanded from Constantinople, his own men overthrew him. Following
the revolt, Gennadius fled to Damascus and asked for aid from Muawiyah, to whom he had paid tribute for years. The caliph sent a
sizable force with Gennadius to invade Africa in 665. Even though the deposed exarch died after reaching Alexandria, the Arabs
marched on. The Byzantines dispatched an army to reinforce Africa, but its commander Nicephorus the Patrician lost a battle with
the Arabs and reembarked. Uqba ibn Nafi and Abu Muhajir al Dinar did much to promote Islam and in the following centuries most
of the indigenous peoples converted. In 750 the Abbasid dynasty overthrew the Ummayad caliph and shifted the capital to
Baghdad, with emirs retaining nominal control over the Libyan coast on behalf of the far-distant caliph. In 800 Caliph Harun ar-
Rashid appointed Ibrahim ibn al-Aghlab as his governor. The Aghlabids dynasty effectively became independent of the Baghdad
caliphs, who continued to retain spiritual authority. The Aghlabid emirs took their custodianship of Libya seriously, repairing Roman
irrigation systems, restoring order and bringing a measure of prosperity to the region. By the beginning of the 15th century the
Libyan coast had minimal central authority and its harbours were havens for pirates. Habsburg Spain occupied Tripoli in 1510, but
the Spaniards were more concerned with controlling the port than with the inconveniences of administering a colony. Ferdinand V
took Tripoli and in 1528 gave it to the Knights of St John of Malta. In 1538 Tripoli was reconquered by a pirate king called Khair
ad-Din (known more evocatively as Barbarossa, or Red Beard) and the coast became renowned as the Barbary Coast. When the
Ottomans arrived to occupy Tripoli in 1551, they saw little reason to rein in the pirates, preferring instead to profit from the booty. It
would be more than two centuries before the pirates' control of the region was challenged. Under the Ottomans, the Meghreb was
divided into three provinces, Algiers, Tripoli and Tunis. After 1565, administrative authority in Tripoli was vested in a pasha
appointed by the sultan in Constantinople. The sultan provided the pasha with a corps of janissaries, which was in turn divided into a
number of companies under the command of a junior officer or bey. The janissaries quickly became the dominant force in Ottoman
Libya. In 1711, Ahmed Karamanli, an Ottoman cavalry officer, seized power and founded the Karamanli dynasty, which would last
124 years. In May 1801 Pasha Yusuf Karamanli demanded from the United States an increase in the tribute ($83,000) which that
government had paid since 1796 for the protection of their commerce from piracy. The demand was refused, an American naval
force blockaded Tripoli, and a desultory war dragged on until 3 June 1805. In 1835, the government of Sultan Mahmud II took
advantage of local disturbances to reassert their direct authority and held it until the final collapse of the Ottoman Empire. As
decentralized Ottoman power had resulted in the virtual independence of Egypt as well as Tripoli, the coast and desert lying
between them relapsed to anarchy, even after direct Ottoman control was resumed in Tripoli. Over a 75 year period the Ottoman
Turks provided 33 governors and Libya remained part of the empire-- although at times virtually autonomous-- until Italy invaded in
1911, as the Ottoman Empire was collapsing. The attempted Italian colonization of the Ottoman provinces of Tripolitania and
Cyrenaica was never wholly successful. On October 3, 1911, the Italians attacked Tripoli, claiming somewhat disingenuously to be
liberating Libya from Ottoman rule. Despite a major revolt by the Libyans, the Ottoman sultan ceded Libya to the Italians by signing
the 1912 Treaty of Lausanne. Tripoli was largely under Italian control by 1914, but both Cyrenaica and the Fezzan were home to
rebellions led by the Senussis. 150,000 Italians settled in Libya. In 1920 (25 October) the Italian government recognized Sheikh
Sidi Idris the hereditary head of the nomadic Senussi, with wide authority in Kufra and other oases, as Emir of Cyrenaica, a new
title extended by the British at the close of World War I. The emir would eventually become king of the free Libyan state. In 1944,
Idris returned from exile in Cairo but declined to resume permanent residence in Cyrenaica until the removal in 1947 of some
aspects of foreign control. Under the terms of the 1947 peace treaty with the Allies, Italy relinquished all claims to Libya. In July
1999 the Italian government offered a formal apology to Libya and it is reported that Italy agreed to pay USD $260 million as
compensation for the occupation. On November 21, 1949, the UN General Assembly passed a resolution stating that Libya should
become independent before January 1, 1952. Idris represented Libya in the subsequent UN negotiations. When Libya declared its
independence on December 24, 1951, it was the first country to achieve independence through the United Nations and one of the
first former European possessions in Africa to gain independence. Libya was proclaimed a constitutional and a hereditary monarchy
and Idris was proclaimed king. The discovery of significant oil reserves in 1959 and the subsequent income from petroleum sales
enabled what had been one of the world's poorest countries to become extremely wealthy. Although oil drastically improved Libya's
finances, popular resentment grew as wealth was increasingly concentrated in the hands of the elite. On September 1, 1969, a small
group of military officers led by then 28-year-old army officer Mu'ammar Abu Minyar al-Qadhafi staged a coup d'etat against King
Idris, who was exiled to Egypt. The new regime, headed by the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC), abolished the monarchy
and proclaimed the new Libyan Arab Republic. The new RCC's motto became "freedom, socialism, and unity." It pledged itself to
remedy "backwardness," take an active role in the Palestinian Arab cause, promote Arab unity, and encourage domestic policies
based on social justice, nonexploitation, and an equitable distribution of wealth. The new government negotiated the Americans to
evacuate the base from Libya. As a result US military forces was forced to leave Libya and close Wheelus Air Base. Qadhafi
rejected both Soviet Communism and Western capitalism and claimed that he was charting an independent course, portraying
himself as a champion of "oppressed peoples" and Third World nations seeking to assert their independence on the international
stage. In the 1970s, Libya claimed leadership of Arab and African revolutionary forces and sought active roles in international
organizations. In 1974, Libya and Tunisia briefly planned to merge and create the Arab Islamic Republic. Libyan military adventures
in Chad failed, e.g., the prolonged foray of Libyan troops into the Aozou Strip in northern Chad was finally repulsed in 1987, when
extensive US and French help to Chadian rebel forces and the government headed by former Defence Minister Hissan Habré finally
led to a Chadian victory in the so-called Toyota Wars. U.S.-Libyan relations quickly deteriorated following the inauguration of U.S.
President Ronald Reagan in January 1981. Libya was accused in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am flight 103 over Lockerbie,
Scotland, UN sanctions were imposed in 1992. UN Security Council resolutions (UNSCRs) passed in 1992 and 1993 obliged
Libya to fulfill requirements related to the Pan Am 103 bombing before sanctions could be lifted, leading to Libya's political and
economic isolation for most of the 1990s. The US rescinded Libya's designation as a state sponsor of terrorism in June 2006.
Source: Wikipedia: History of Libya
| ECONOMIC OVERVIEW |
The Libyan economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contribute about 95% of export earnings, 25% of
GDP, and 60% of public sector wages. The weakness in world hydrocarbon prices in 2009 reduced Libyan government tax
income and constrained economic growth. Substantial revenues from the energy sector coupled with a small population give Libya
one of the highest per capita GDPs in Africa, but little of this income flows down to the lower orders of society. Libyan officials in
the past five years have made progress on economic reforms as part of a broader campaign to reintegrate the country into the
international fold. This effort picked up steam after UN sanctions were lifted in September 2003 and as Libya announced in
December 2003 that it would abandon programs to build weapons of mass destruction. The process of lifting US unilateral
sanctions began in the spring of 2004; all sanctions were removed by June 2006, helping Libya attract greater foreign direct
investment, especially in the energy sector. Libyan oil and gas licensing rounds continue to draw high international interest; the
National Oil Company set a goal of nearly doubling oil production to 3 million bbl/day by 2012. Libya faces a long road ahead in
liberalizing the socialist-oriented economy, but initial steps - including applying for WTO membership, reducing some subsidies, and
announcing plans for privatization - are laying the groundwork for a transition to a more market-based economy. The non-oil
manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for more than 20% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly
agricultural products to include the production of petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Climatic conditions and poor soils
severely limit agricultural output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food. Libya's primary agricultural water source remains the
Great Manmade River Project, but significant resources are being invested in desalinization research to meet growing water
demands.
Source: CIA World Factbook (select Libya)
GDP, and 60% of public sector wages. The weakness in world hydrocarbon prices in 2009 reduced Libyan government tax
income and constrained economic growth. Substantial revenues from the energy sector coupled with a small population give Libya
one of the highest per capita GDPs in Africa, but little of this income flows down to the lower orders of society. Libyan officials in
the past five years have made progress on economic reforms as part of a broader campaign to reintegrate the country into the
international fold. This effort picked up steam after UN sanctions were lifted in September 2003 and as Libya announced in
December 2003 that it would abandon programs to build weapons of mass destruction. The process of lifting US unilateral
sanctions began in the spring of 2004; all sanctions were removed by June 2006, helping Libya attract greater foreign direct
investment, especially in the energy sector. Libyan oil and gas licensing rounds continue to draw high international interest; the
National Oil Company set a goal of nearly doubling oil production to 3 million bbl/day by 2012. Libya faces a long road ahead in
liberalizing the socialist-oriented economy, but initial steps - including applying for WTO membership, reducing some subsidies, and
announcing plans for privatization - are laying the groundwork for a transition to a more market-based economy. The non-oil
manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for more than 20% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly
agricultural products to include the production of petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Climatic conditions and poor soils
severely limit agricultural output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food. Libya's primary agricultural water source remains the
Great Manmade River Project, but significant resources are being invested in desalinization research to meet growing water
demands.
Source: CIA World Factbook (select Libya)
| POLITICAL CLIMATE |
In 1988, faced with rising public dissatisfaction with shortages in consumer goods and setbacks in Libya's war with Chad, Qadhafi
began to curb the power of the revolutionary committees and to institute some domestic reforms. The regime released many political
prisoners and eased restrictions on foreign travel by Libyans. Private businesses were again permitted to operate. In the late 1980s,
Qadhafi began to pursue an anti-Fundamentalist Islamic policy domestically, viewing fundamentalism as a potential rallying point for
opponents of the regime. Ministerial positions and military commanders are frequently shuffled or placed under temporary house
arrest to diffuse potential threats to Qadhafi's authority.
Despite these measures, internal dissent continues. Qadhafi's security forces launched a preemptive strike at alleged coup plotters in
the military and among the Warfallah tribe in October 1993. Widespread arrests and government reshufflings followed,
accompanied by public "confessions" from regime opponents and allegations of torture and executions. The military, once Qadhafi's
strongest supporters, became a potential threat in the 1990s. In 1993, following a failed coup attempt that implicated senior military
officers, Qadhafi began to purge the military periodically, eliminating potential rivals and inserting his own loyal followers in their
place.
Political parties were banned by the Prohibition of Party Politics Act Number 71 of 1972. According to the Association Act of
1971, the establishment of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is allowed. As they are required to conform to the goals of the
revolution, however, the number of NGOs in Libya is small in comparison with neighboring countries. Unions do not exist as such.
Source: Wikipedia: Politics of Libya
began to curb the power of the revolutionary committees and to institute some domestic reforms. The regime released many political
prisoners and eased restrictions on foreign travel by Libyans. Private businesses were again permitted to operate. In the late 1980s,
Qadhafi began to pursue an anti-Fundamentalist Islamic policy domestically, viewing fundamentalism as a potential rallying point for
opponents of the regime. Ministerial positions and military commanders are frequently shuffled or placed under temporary house
arrest to diffuse potential threats to Qadhafi's authority.
Despite these measures, internal dissent continues. Qadhafi's security forces launched a preemptive strike at alleged coup plotters in
the military and among the Warfallah tribe in October 1993. Widespread arrests and government reshufflings followed,
accompanied by public "confessions" from regime opponents and allegations of torture and executions. The military, once Qadhafi's
strongest supporters, became a potential threat in the 1990s. In 1993, following a failed coup attempt that implicated senior military
officers, Qadhafi began to purge the military periodically, eliminating potential rivals and inserting his own loyal followers in their
place.
Political parties were banned by the Prohibition of Party Politics Act Number 71 of 1972. According to the Association Act of
1971, the establishment of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) is allowed. As they are required to conform to the goals of the
revolution, however, the number of NGOs in Libya is small in comparison with neighboring countries. Unions do not exist as such.
Source: Wikipedia: Politics of Libya
| INTERNATIONAL DISPUTES |
Libya has claimed more than 32,000 sq km in southeastern Algeria and about 25,000 sq km in the Tommo region of Niger in a
currently dormant dispute; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in southern Libya
currently dormant dispute; various Chadian rebels from the Aozou region reside in southern Libya
| REFUGEES AND INTERNALLY DISPLACED PERSONS (IDPS) |
Refugees (country of origin): 8,000 (Palestinian Territories) (2007)
| ILLICIT DRUGS |
None reported.
| HUMAN RIGHTS STATEMENTS, ANALYSIS AND CRITIQUES |
2008 Human Rights Report: Libya
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
February 25, 2009
The Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya is an authoritarian regime with a population of approximately six million, ruled by
Colonel Mu'ammar al Qadhafi since 1969. The country's governing principles are derived predominantly from Colonel al-Qadhafi's Green
Book ideology. In theory citizens rule the country through a pyramid of popular congresses, communes, and committees, as laid out in
the 1969 Constitutional Proclamation and the 1977 Declaration on the Establishment of the Authority of the People. In 2006 Secretary of
the General People's Committee al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi (prime minister equivalent) and the remaining delegates of the 760-member
General People's Congress began three-year terms. In practice, however, al-Qadhafi and his inner circle monopolized political power.
These authorities generally maintained effective control of the security forces.
The government's human rights record remained poor. Citizens did not have the right to change their government. Remaining problems
included:
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
2008 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
February 25, 2009
The Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya is an authoritarian regime with a population of approximately six million, ruled by
Colonel Mu'ammar al Qadhafi since 1969. The country's governing principles are derived predominantly from Colonel al-Qadhafi's Green
Book ideology. In theory citizens rule the country through a pyramid of popular congresses, communes, and committees, as laid out in
the 1969 Constitutional Proclamation and the 1977 Declaration on the Establishment of the Authority of the People. In 2006 Secretary of
the General People's Committee al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi (prime minister equivalent) and the remaining delegates of the 760-member
General People's Congress began three-year terms. In practice, however, al-Qadhafi and his inner circle monopolized political power.
These authorities generally maintained effective control of the security forces.
The government's human rights record remained poor. Citizens did not have the right to change their government. Remaining problems
included:
- reported disappearances;
- torture;
- arbitrary arrest;
- lengthy pretrial and sometimes incommunicado detention;
- official impunity and poor prison conditions;
- denial of a fair public trial by an independent judiciary;
- political prisoners and detainees;
- lack of judicial recourse for alleged human rights;
- The government restricted civil liberties and freedoms of speech, press (including Internet and academic freedom), assembly, and
association. - The government did not fully protect the rights of migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees.
- Other problems included restrictions on freedom of religion;
- corruption and lack of transparency;
- societal discrimination against women, ethnic minorities, and foreign workers;
- trafficking in persons;
- restriction of labor rights.
6 February 2009
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Forty-third session
19 January-6 February 2009
Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Introduction
2. While expressing its appreciation to the State party for its second periodic report and its third to fifth periodic reports, the Committee
regrets that they do not follow its guidelines for the preparation of periodic reports or provide sexdisaggregated data on all areas covered
by the Convention, notably in the fields of education, health and employment, although it notes that some sex-disaggregated data were
provided during the constructive dialogue. The Committee also expressed its appreciation to the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for its written
replies to the list of issues and questions raised by the pre-session working group, but regrets that they do not provide specific
information in response to the questions posed. The Committee also regrets that the submission of the third to fifth periodic reports was
significantly delayed and reminds the State party of the need to comply with its reporting obligations in a timely manner, as delays in
reporting may have a negative impact on the implementation of the Convention. The Committee encourages the State party to seek
technical assistance for the preparation of the next periodic report, including from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights.
Positive aspects
4. The Committee commends the State party for acceding in 2004 to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women.
5. The Committee notes with satisfaction the progress made by the State party towards the achievement of equality between women and
men in the areas of education, health and social security. In this respect, the Committee particularly welcomes the approval by the
General People’s Congress, in March 1997, of the Charter on the Rights and Duties of Women in the Libyan Arab Society.
Principal areas of concern and recommendations
7. While recalling the State party’s obligation to systematically and continuously implement all the provisions of the Convention, the
Committee views the concerns and recommendations identified in the present concluding comments as requiring the State party’s
priority attention between now and the submission of the next periodic report. Consequently, the Committee calls upon the State party to
focus on those areas in its implementation activities and to report on actions taken and results achieved in its next periodic report. It also
calls upon the State party to submit the present concluding observations to all relevant ministries and to the General People’s Congress
so as to ensure their full implementation.
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Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Forty-third session
19 January-6 February 2009
Concluding observations of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Introduction
2. While expressing its appreciation to the State party for its second periodic report and its third to fifth periodic reports, the Committee
regrets that they do not follow its guidelines for the preparation of periodic reports or provide sexdisaggregated data on all areas covered
by the Convention, notably in the fields of education, health and employment, although it notes that some sex-disaggregated data were
provided during the constructive dialogue. The Committee also expressed its appreciation to the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya for its written
replies to the list of issues and questions raised by the pre-session working group, but regrets that they do not provide specific
information in response to the questions posed. The Committee also regrets that the submission of the third to fifth periodic reports was
significantly delayed and reminds the State party of the need to comply with its reporting obligations in a timely manner, as delays in
reporting may have a negative impact on the implementation of the Convention. The Committee encourages the State party to seek
technical assistance for the preparation of the next periodic report, including from the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights.
Positive aspects
4. The Committee commends the State party for acceding in 2004 to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination against Women.
5. The Committee notes with satisfaction the progress made by the State party towards the achievement of equality between women and
men in the areas of education, health and social security. In this respect, the Committee particularly welcomes the approval by the
General People’s Congress, in March 1997, of the Charter on the Rights and Duties of Women in the Libyan Arab Society.
Principal areas of concern and recommendations
7. While recalling the State party’s obligation to systematically and continuously implement all the provisions of the Convention, the
Committee views the concerns and recommendations identified in the present concluding comments as requiring the State party’s
priority attention between now and the submission of the next periodic report. Consequently, the Committee calls upon the State party to
focus on those areas in its implementation activities and to report on actions taken and results achieved in its next periodic report. It also
calls upon the State party to submit the present concluding observations to all relevant ministries and to the General People’s Congress
so as to ensure their full implementation.
Click here to read more »
Freedom In The World 2009 Report
Political Rights Score: 7
Civil Liberties Score: 7
Status: Not Free
Overview
In November 2008, government forces clashed with members of the southern Tabu tribe, resulting in significant loss of life and
property. Libya’s generally poor human rights performance showed no signs of improvement during the year, and warmer relations with
the United States and Europe appeared to dim prospects for concerted international pressure on the issue of political reform.
Many observers have speculated that Saif al-Islam al-Qadhafi, the leader’s son, is behind some of the policy moves of the past few
years. He runs a charitable umbrella organization, the Gaddafi International Foundation for Charity Associations, and has facilitated visits
by foreign human rights activists. According to press reports, his foundation has made it possible for Libyan citizens to report abuses by
the authorities. Saif al-Islam has also publicly criticized current conditions in Libya and advocated changes in the leadership.
Nevertheless, the diplomatic and economic shifts to date have not been accompanied by noticeable improvements in political rights or
civil liberties. In November 2008, the government clashed with members of the Tabu tribe in southeastern Libya, resulting in significant
loss of life and property.
Libya is not an electoral democracy. Power theoretically lies with a system of people’s committees and the General People’s Congress,
but in practice those structures are manipulated to ensure the continued dominance of Mu’ammar al-Qadhafi, who holds no official title.
It is illegal for any political group to oppose the principles of the 1969 revolution, which are laid out in the Green Book, although in
recent years market-based economic changes have diverged from the regime’s socialist ideals.
Political parties have been illegal for over 35 years, and the government strictly monitors political activity. Organizing or joining anything
akin to a political party is punishable by very long prison terms and even the death sentence. Many Libyan opposition movements and
figures operate outside the country.
Corruption is pervasive in both the private sector and the government in Libya, which ranked 126 out of 180 countries surveyed in
Transparency International’s 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index.
There is no independent press. State-owned media largely operate as mouthpieces for the authorities, and journalists work in a climate of
fear and self-censorship. Those who displease the regime face harassment or imprisonment on trumped-up charges. In 2007, according
to the New York–based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), three suspects were sentenced to death for the 2005 murder of
journalist Dayf al-Ghazal al-Shuhaibi. He had worked for state-owned media but also contributed to London-based websites focused on
Libya, and had criticized the authorities in the months leading up to his death. According to CPJ, little information was released on the
trial of the three suspects, prompting concerns about the authenticity of the process. The government controls the country’s only
internet service provider, and closely monitors internet activity; authorities often block opposition sites, and swiftly punish those who
express criticism of the state.
Click here to read more »
Political Rights Score: 7
Civil Liberties Score: 7
Status: Not Free
Overview
In November 2008, government forces clashed with members of the southern Tabu tribe, resulting in significant loss of life and
property. Libya’s generally poor human rights performance showed no signs of improvement during the year, and warmer relations with
the United States and Europe appeared to dim prospects for concerted international pressure on the issue of political reform.
Many observers have speculated that Saif al-Islam al-Qadhafi, the leader’s son, is behind some of the policy moves of the past few
years. He runs a charitable umbrella organization, the Gaddafi International Foundation for Charity Associations, and has facilitated visits
by foreign human rights activists. According to press reports, his foundation has made it possible for Libyan citizens to report abuses by
the authorities. Saif al-Islam has also publicly criticized current conditions in Libya and advocated changes in the leadership.
Nevertheless, the diplomatic and economic shifts to date have not been accompanied by noticeable improvements in political rights or
civil liberties. In November 2008, the government clashed with members of the Tabu tribe in southeastern Libya, resulting in significant
loss of life and property.
Libya is not an electoral democracy. Power theoretically lies with a system of people’s committees and the General People’s Congress,
but in practice those structures are manipulated to ensure the continued dominance of Mu’ammar al-Qadhafi, who holds no official title.
It is illegal for any political group to oppose the principles of the 1969 revolution, which are laid out in the Green Book, although in
recent years market-based economic changes have diverged from the regime’s socialist ideals.
Political parties have been illegal for over 35 years, and the government strictly monitors political activity. Organizing or joining anything
akin to a political party is punishable by very long prison terms and even the death sentence. Many Libyan opposition movements and
figures operate outside the country.
Corruption is pervasive in both the private sector and the government in Libya, which ranked 126 out of 180 countries surveyed in
Transparency International’s 2008 Corruption Perceptions Index.
There is no independent press. State-owned media largely operate as mouthpieces for the authorities, and journalists work in a climate of
fear and self-censorship. Those who displease the regime face harassment or imprisonment on trumped-up charges. In 2007, according
to the New York–based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), three suspects were sentenced to death for the 2005 murder of
journalist Dayf al-Ghazal al-Shuhaibi. He had worked for state-owned media but also contributed to London-based websites focused on
Libya, and had criticized the authorities in the months leading up to his death. According to CPJ, little information was released on the
trial of the three suspects, prompting concerns about the authenticity of the process. The government controls the country’s only
internet service provider, and closely monitors internet activity; authorities often block opposition sites, and swiftly punish those who
express criticism of the state.
Click here to read more »
2 March 2010
Libya: Prisoner of conscience to stand trial for raising abuse
On the eve of the trial of prisoner of conscience Jamal el-Haji in front of the State Security Court, Amnesty International called on the
Libyan authorities to immediately and unconditionally release him as he is solely detained for exercising his right to freedom of expression.
Jamal el-Haji, detained in Jdeida Prison in Tripoli since 9 December 2009, is facing charges of insulting the judiciary following a
complaint he had submitted to Mustafa Abdeljalil, Secretary of the General People's Committee for Justice. In his complaint, he
recounted human rights violations he suffered during his detention between February 2007 and March 2009. He described his unlawful
arrest by members of the Libyan security forces; the ill-treatment he endured in detention including unhygienic conditions and inadequate
medical treatment; the denial of visits by his family and lawyer; and breaches of his right to fair trial. He also criticized the authorities’
shortcomings in the administration of justice as well as their failure to uphold their international human rights obligations. He requested
the intervention of Mustafa Abdeljalilto ensure that he and his family receive adequate reparation for the harm suffered.
Jamal el-Haji wrote his complaint to Mustafa Abdeljalil after being released from prison in March 2009.He was sentenced in June 2008
by the State Security Court, after an unfair trial, to 12 years' imprisonment for vaguely worded offences such as "attempting to
overthrow the political system," "spreading false rumours about the Libyan regime" and "communicating with enemy powers." Jamal el-
Haji was arrested and tried after the publication of a statement on news websites calling for a peaceful demonstration to be held on 17
February 2007 to commemorate the killing by the security forces of at least 12 people and the injuring of scores more during a
demonstration in Benghazi, the second largest city in the country. It was reported that during his detention, he was denied regular family
visits and was not able to see his lawyer outside of the courtroom.
Despite his unlawful imprisonment for over two years for attempting to organize a peaceful protest, Jamal el-Haji went undeterred and
gave an interview to BBC World around the 40th anniversary of the Fateh Revolution, which brought M’uammar al-Gaddafi to power in
September 1969, in which he criticized Libya’s political system.
On 17 February 2010, Jamal el-Haji was brought in front of the State Security Court, where his trial was due to commence. He
requested for the trial to be postponed in order to be tried in the presence of his lawyer. The trial was postponed to 3 March 2010.
According to the information available to Amnesty International, his lawyer was not allowed to visit him in prison, undermining el-Haji’s
right to adequate defence as enshrined in Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ( ICCPR), to which Libya
is a state partly.
Click here to read more »
Libya: Prisoner of conscience to stand trial for raising abuse
On the eve of the trial of prisoner of conscience Jamal el-Haji in front of the State Security Court, Amnesty International called on the
Libyan authorities to immediately and unconditionally release him as he is solely detained for exercising his right to freedom of expression.
Jamal el-Haji, detained in Jdeida Prison in Tripoli since 9 December 2009, is facing charges of insulting the judiciary following a
complaint he had submitted to Mustafa Abdeljalil, Secretary of the General People's Committee for Justice. In his complaint, he
recounted human rights violations he suffered during his detention between February 2007 and March 2009. He described his unlawful
arrest by members of the Libyan security forces; the ill-treatment he endured in detention including unhygienic conditions and inadequate
medical treatment; the denial of visits by his family and lawyer; and breaches of his right to fair trial. He also criticized the authorities’
shortcomings in the administration of justice as well as their failure to uphold their international human rights obligations. He requested
the intervention of Mustafa Abdeljalilto ensure that he and his family receive adequate reparation for the harm suffered.
Jamal el-Haji wrote his complaint to Mustafa Abdeljalil after being released from prison in March 2009.He was sentenced in June 2008
by the State Security Court, after an unfair trial, to 12 years' imprisonment for vaguely worded offences such as "attempting to
overthrow the political system," "spreading false rumours about the Libyan regime" and "communicating with enemy powers." Jamal el-
Haji was arrested and tried after the publication of a statement on news websites calling for a peaceful demonstration to be held on 17
February 2007 to commemorate the killing by the security forces of at least 12 people and the injuring of scores more during a
demonstration in Benghazi, the second largest city in the country. It was reported that during his detention, he was denied regular family
visits and was not able to see his lawyer outside of the courtroom.
Despite his unlawful imprisonment for over two years for attempting to organize a peaceful protest, Jamal el-Haji went undeterred and
gave an interview to BBC World around the 40th anniversary of the Fateh Revolution, which brought M’uammar al-Gaddafi to power in
September 1969, in which he criticized Libya’s political system.
On 17 February 2010, Jamal el-Haji was brought in front of the State Security Court, where his trial was due to commence. He
requested for the trial to be postponed in order to be tried in the presence of his lawyer. The trial was postponed to 3 March 2010.
According to the information available to Amnesty International, his lawyer was not allowed to visit him in prison, undermining el-Haji’s
right to adequate defence as enshrined in Article 14 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ( ICCPR), to which Libya
is a state partly.
Click here to read more »
Libya: Free Critic of Rights Violations
Writer Facing State Security Court Trial Over Complaint to Justice Secretary
March 3, 2010
(New York) - Libyan authorities should immediately release Jamal al-Haji, who was arrested after he submitted a complaint to the
government about human rights violations, Human Rights Watch said today.
Al-Haji, who has written about human rights, is scheduled to appear on March 3, 2010, before the State Security Court, which does not
meet fair trial standards. He is charged with "insulting judicial authorities," which under article 195 of the Penal Code carries a sentence
of 3 to 15 years.
"Jamal al-Haji expressed his faith in the Libyan justice system by submitting a formal complaint," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East
director at Human Rights Watch. "To arrest him and then try him before an unfair court makes a mockery of that system."
Al-Haji's lawyer, Omar al-Habbasi, told Human Rights Watch that al-Haji appeared before the State Security court for the first time on
February 17 without having been given access to a lawyer. Al-Haji at that time insisted that he be given access to a lawyer, and the judge
adjourned the session until March 3 to allow him to obtain a lawyer. Al Habbasi said he has not yet been able to get access to any of the
case documents and would ask the judge for an adjournment to allow him to study the case file.
Al-Haji's detention stems from a five-page complaint that he sent to Justice Secretary Mostafa Abdeljalil on May 24, 2009 about
violations of his basic rights, including torture and inhumane conditions, while he was in custody from 2007 to 2009, and a refusal since
his release to allow him to travel abroad. He also criticized Libya's lack of judicial independence, the interference of the security services
in the judiciary, and the arbitrary detention of hundreds of people. Al-Haji had spent two years in prison as a political prisoner, convicted
of "attempting to overthrow the political system" and "communication with enemy powers," for planning a demonstration in February
2007.
On November 5, the general prosecutor summoned al-Haji to respond to a criminal defamation complaint that the justice secretary had
filed against him on June 4 concerning his May letter. On December 8, the prosecutor ordered al-Haji's detention in Jdaida prison in
Tripoli pending trial. On December 9, the office of General Prosecutor Abdurahman Elabbar released a memorandum stating that it had
"investigated the allegations in [al-Haji's] complaint and proved that they were untrue and therefore slanderous, which is punishable by
law under article 195 of the penal code."
"Jamal al-Haji is a brave Libyan willing to risk publicly criticizing the government," Whitson said. "His arrest for 'insulting officials'
violates his right to free expression."
Click here to read more »
Writer Facing State Security Court Trial Over Complaint to Justice Secretary
March 3, 2010
(New York) - Libyan authorities should immediately release Jamal al-Haji, who was arrested after he submitted a complaint to the
government about human rights violations, Human Rights Watch said today.
Al-Haji, who has written about human rights, is scheduled to appear on March 3, 2010, before the State Security Court, which does not
meet fair trial standards. He is charged with "insulting judicial authorities," which under article 195 of the Penal Code carries a sentence
of 3 to 15 years.
"Jamal al-Haji expressed his faith in the Libyan justice system by submitting a formal complaint," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East
director at Human Rights Watch. "To arrest him and then try him before an unfair court makes a mockery of that system."
Al-Haji's lawyer, Omar al-Habbasi, told Human Rights Watch that al-Haji appeared before the State Security court for the first time on
February 17 without having been given access to a lawyer. Al-Haji at that time insisted that he be given access to a lawyer, and the judge
adjourned the session until March 3 to allow him to obtain a lawyer. Al Habbasi said he has not yet been able to get access to any of the
case documents and would ask the judge for an adjournment to allow him to study the case file.
Al-Haji's detention stems from a five-page complaint that he sent to Justice Secretary Mostafa Abdeljalil on May 24, 2009 about
violations of his basic rights, including torture and inhumane conditions, while he was in custody from 2007 to 2009, and a refusal since
his release to allow him to travel abroad. He also criticized Libya's lack of judicial independence, the interference of the security services
in the judiciary, and the arbitrary detention of hundreds of people. Al-Haji had spent two years in prison as a political prisoner, convicted
of "attempting to overthrow the political system" and "communication with enemy powers," for planning a demonstration in February
2007.
On November 5, the general prosecutor summoned al-Haji to respond to a criminal defamation complaint that the justice secretary had
filed against him on June 4 concerning his May letter. On December 8, the prosecutor ordered al-Haji's detention in Jdaida prison in
Tripoli pending trial. On December 9, the office of General Prosecutor Abdurahman Elabbar released a memorandum stating that it had
"investigated the allegations in [al-Haji's] complaint and proved that they were untrue and therefore slanderous, which is punishable by
law under article 195 of the penal code."
"Jamal al-Haji is a brave Libyan willing to risk publicly criticizing the government," Whitson said. "His arrest for 'insulting officials'
violates his right to free expression."
Click here to read more »
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
H.E. Colonel Muammar Al-Qadhafi, Leader of the Revolution
23 September 2009
Statement Summary
MUAMMAR AL-QADHAFI, Leader of the Revolution of Libya, speaking also on behalf of the African Union, said he hoped this
gathering would be a historic one. He also congratulated United States President Barack Obama on his first address to the General
Assembly. This year’s debate was being held in the midst of many challenges and the world should unite and defeat these challenges,
which included climate change, the economic crisis and the food crisis.
He said many Member States were not present when the United Nations was created by three countries years ago. They created the
Charter but the Preamble was different from the provisions and articles. No one objected to the Preamble, but he rejected everything
that came after. The Preamble of the United Nations Charter said nations were equal, whether large or small. The veto power bestowed
upon the five permanent members of the Security Council was, therefore, against the Charter, and he neither accepted nor recognized it.
Continuing, he said the Charter’s Preamble stated that military force should not be used unless there was a common interest. But 65
wars, with millions of victims, had broken out since the creation of the United Nations. Moreover, the Preamble said if there was
aggression against any country, the United Nations together would check such actions. Despite that, countries which held the veto used
aggressive force against “the people”, even as the Charter said no nation had the right to intervene in the internal affairs of another.
He went on to express concern that right now, calls for reforming the Organization focused only on increasing the number of Member
States. That would only make things worse. For instance, adding more Security Council seats would “give rise to more super-Powers,
crush the small people and create more poverty”. Such an impractical move would also generate more competition among countries. In
any case, the Council should act according to the rules of the United Nations. The solution was to close the admission of new Member
States and provide equality among those already belonging to the Organization, he said.
Currently, the Assembly was like a decor without any substance. “You just make a speech and then you disappear...that’s who you are
right now,” he said. Setting that right would mean that the Security Council could serve as a tool for implementing resolutions adopted
by the Assembly. The Council should represent the interests of all countries, through individual seats or seats held by unions that
represented each region of the world. There were equal votes in the Assembly and there should be equal votes next door in the Security
Council, he declared, adding that ultimately, for a united and peaceful world, serious Organizational reform was needed. Keeping his
focus squarely on Security Council dynamics, he said that the 15-member body practised “security feudalism” for those who had a
protected seat. “It should be called the terror council”, he said, underscoring that terrorism could exist in many forms. The super-
Powers had complicated interests and used the United Nations for their own purposes. Indeed, the Security Council did not provide the
world with security, but gave it “terror and sanctions”. He was not committed to adhere to the Council’s resolutions, which were used
to commit war crimes and genocides. He reiterated that the Council did not provide security and the world did not have to obey the
rules or orders it decreed, especially as it was currently constituted.
Click here to read more »
H.E. Colonel Muammar Al-Qadhafi, Leader of the Revolution
23 September 2009
Statement Summary
MUAMMAR AL-QADHAFI, Leader of the Revolution of Libya, speaking also on behalf of the African Union, said he hoped this
gathering would be a historic one. He also congratulated United States President Barack Obama on his first address to the General
Assembly. This year’s debate was being held in the midst of many challenges and the world should unite and defeat these challenges,
which included climate change, the economic crisis and the food crisis.
He said many Member States were not present when the United Nations was created by three countries years ago. They created the
Charter but the Preamble was different from the provisions and articles. No one objected to the Preamble, but he rejected everything
that came after. The Preamble of the United Nations Charter said nations were equal, whether large or small. The veto power bestowed
upon the five permanent members of the Security Council was, therefore, against the Charter, and he neither accepted nor recognized it.
Continuing, he said the Charter’s Preamble stated that military force should not be used unless there was a common interest. But 65
wars, with millions of victims, had broken out since the creation of the United Nations. Moreover, the Preamble said if there was
aggression against any country, the United Nations together would check such actions. Despite that, countries which held the veto used
aggressive force against “the people”, even as the Charter said no nation had the right to intervene in the internal affairs of another.
He went on to express concern that right now, calls for reforming the Organization focused only on increasing the number of Member
States. That would only make things worse. For instance, adding more Security Council seats would “give rise to more super-Powers,
crush the small people and create more poverty”. Such an impractical move would also generate more competition among countries. In
any case, the Council should act according to the rules of the United Nations. The solution was to close the admission of new Member
States and provide equality among those already belonging to the Organization, he said.
Currently, the Assembly was like a decor without any substance. “You just make a speech and then you disappear...that’s who you are
right now,” he said. Setting that right would mean that the Security Council could serve as a tool for implementing resolutions adopted
by the Assembly. The Council should represent the interests of all countries, through individual seats or seats held by unions that
represented each region of the world. There were equal votes in the Assembly and there should be equal votes next door in the Security
Council, he declared, adding that ultimately, for a united and peaceful world, serious Organizational reform was needed. Keeping his
focus squarely on Security Council dynamics, he said that the 15-member body practised “security feudalism” for those who had a
protected seat. “It should be called the terror council”, he said, underscoring that terrorism could exist in many forms. The super-
Powers had complicated interests and used the United Nations for their own purposes. Indeed, the Security Council did not provide the
world with security, but gave it “terror and sanctions”. He was not committed to adhere to the Council’s resolutions, which were used
to commit war crimes and genocides. He reiterated that the Council did not provide security and the world did not have to obey the
rules or orders it decreed, especially as it was currently constituted.
Click here to read more »
TRANSLATED FROM ARABIC BY GOOGLE TRANSLATE
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
First workshop second workshop
To all Libya
Every day of the tragic reality of our lives, and all appropriate event, they are more eloquent proof of evidence, the horror and B
backwardness and barbarism and hypocrisy, in which we live and hanging over our heads and minds for hundreds of years, and the
futility of quackery and ignorance of the agents we practiced religion and belief, of sultans and sheiks and their heirs, and they did not
know The saddest thing created on earth.
I repeat, was that the battle should be given to each mother woke up magician, appoints himself as an intermediary to God among us,
Faihkmena and controls our destinies and is forbidden on our minds and manipulate our freedoms and our feelings and Rohaniatna, in
order to harness them to achieve their objectives and to ensure its interests.
To be my intention is clear and straightforward, and confirmation that our battle is not against religion as a religion, but with his priests,
ignorant gatekeepers, whether in power or aspiring in his name, you will not go today in the historical examples, or evidence of the past,
lectured on enough and carry out:
1."You all saw the Antichrist-Qadhafi, and the most heinous abuse of a religious event has a special place in the Libyan Spirituality, like
some of the Muslims across the world (with the birthplace of Islam and the Muslims of Quraish and Arab language pitted, do not
recognize the" long-birth of the Prophet ", and celebrate it, but consider the matter and the whole fad and misguidance.!? This is worthy
of contemplation and communion, may have his chance later).
I say: Gaddafi, on the day of the days of "religion", emptied a fraction of the ignorance and the Tigris and Ohakadh and node disease, the
name of God and the name of Islam, and the masses of the sultans and the Senate and "scientists", cheerleaders cheering blessed, and
their mother in prayer, "kneeling Sajida dibo the remembrance of Allah "?
Some will be cynical: that Gaddafi does not represent Islam, nor al-Qaeda and allied communities, and those in turn repeating the same
response: you as well for them do not represent Islam, to keep the rigid provocative question: If a representative? And will never find the
answer. But believe me, whether or may not appear, it is of the scene 1400 years ago, and the result of the tragic one, and its devastating
effects on our ancestors left in the past, and now we are withdrawing, and on the future of our children and future generations, and the
lesson of the findings and provisions Boukoatmha. Fberroa as you wish, and dwell and Tkhaddroa, but the bitter reality will remain the
best witness and the best proof.
Click here to read more »
Thursday, March 4th, 2010
First workshop second workshop
To all Libya
Every day of the tragic reality of our lives, and all appropriate event, they are more eloquent proof of evidence, the horror and B
backwardness and barbarism and hypocrisy, in which we live and hanging over our heads and minds for hundreds of years, and the
futility of quackery and ignorance of the agents we practiced religion and belief, of sultans and sheiks and their heirs, and they did not
know The saddest thing created on earth.
I repeat, was that the battle should be given to each mother woke up magician, appoints himself as an intermediary to God among us,
Faihkmena and controls our destinies and is forbidden on our minds and manipulate our freedoms and our feelings and Rohaniatna, in
order to harness them to achieve their objectives and to ensure its interests.
To be my intention is clear and straightforward, and confirmation that our battle is not against religion as a religion, but with his priests,
ignorant gatekeepers, whether in power or aspiring in his name, you will not go today in the historical examples, or evidence of the past,
lectured on enough and carry out:
1."You all saw the Antichrist-Qadhafi, and the most heinous abuse of a religious event has a special place in the Libyan Spirituality, like
some of the Muslims across the world (with the birthplace of Islam and the Muslims of Quraish and Arab language pitted, do not
recognize the" long-birth of the Prophet ", and celebrate it, but consider the matter and the whole fad and misguidance.!? This is worthy
of contemplation and communion, may have his chance later).
I say: Gaddafi, on the day of the days of "religion", emptied a fraction of the ignorance and the Tigris and Ohakadh and node disease, the
name of God and the name of Islam, and the masses of the sultans and the Senate and "scientists", cheerleaders cheering blessed, and
their mother in prayer, "kneeling Sajida dibo the remembrance of Allah "?
Some will be cynical: that Gaddafi does not represent Islam, nor al-Qaeda and allied communities, and those in turn repeating the same
response: you as well for them do not represent Islam, to keep the rigid provocative question: If a representative? And will never find the
answer. But believe me, whether or may not appear, it is of the scene 1400 years ago, and the result of the tragic one, and its devastating
effects on our ancestors left in the past, and now we are withdrawing, and on the future of our children and future generations, and the
lesson of the findings and provisions Boukoatmha. Fberroa as you wish, and dwell and Tkhaddroa, but the bitter reality will remain the
best witness and the best proof.
Click here to read more »
TRANSLATED FROM ARABIC BY GOOGLE TRANSLATE
The new draft Penal Code
Devoted to the abuse of new freedoms and human rights violations
April 25, 2008
We followed with great concern and a symposium held at the Bar Association in Tripoli, which were the discussion of the draft new
Penal Code, the presence of the Minister of Justice and a group of jurists and lawyers, have been amended law review articles, and was
excessive in the death penalty and life imprisonment!!
This is in addition to changes to the law aimed at tightening the grip on the whole to the public freedoms, the more serious violations of
human rights in Libya, summarized as follows:
First: the violation of citizen's right to life, with many striking the death penalty to consider, an alarming new in the suppression of public
freedoms, and it was noted that the new law has abolished all the laws and extraordinary bad reputation, but that - and, alas - was
included in all materials repressive draft law New!! Which indicates the continuation of the Libyan authorities to persist in the
suppression of freedoms and rights violations and endangering the lives of various groups of people to the death penalty and long prison
term.
Second: the violation of citizen's right to freedom of expression, opinion and thought .. Where it came to providing for the death penalty
and life imprisonment in the so-called crime of hooliganism, a dangerous precedent in international regulations have not defined .. It did
not stop at this point, but it came to the criminalization of rumor and Alirjav and tendentious joke, the other was not known prior to the
human over the ages, not to mention the death penalty and imprisonment for each of the pro promoted theories or principles against the
state ..
III: the determination of the Libyan authorities to prosecute political opponents living outside the borders of the homeland, where he was
an aggravating circumstance in addition to the text of Article III of the Code of the criminalization of the party ((whether based inside or
outside)) is intended to both set up or established organization or gathering formations or hostile to the regime or the mass of the Libyan
people!! Whether this was a secret organization Ouallnia.
This is also against the freedom of opinion and thought, the vision and political ideas in an open and transparent, and thus it has also the
difference in the fight against the right of opinion and political pluralism, and therefore could be used in this text is in default on any
opponent resident outside the organization is a party or gathering or hostile to the regime, a pretext for controlling and brought ..
Fourth: In order to prosecute political opponents outside the country .. Been developed to fabricate or other crime in line with
international trends in the so-called fight against terrorism .. This crime, which has no standard definition .. What is a terrorist in the eyes
of a particular system might be a struggler in the eyes of others .. Thus the fear of exploitation of the charge in the prosecution of any
opposition to the system residing outside the country after being charged with terrorism, the protection and the loss of international
legitimacy and become an international manhunt and is required!!
.. Accordingly, we show our deep concern and Khchitna on public freedoms and human rights file in Libya .. A result of these
amendments unjust and inevitably leading to more serious violations, added to the record of such violations for the past four decades ..
and declare our adherence to the need to eliminate all sanctions restricting freedom of speech and of opinion and expression and freedom
of thought .. And violation of all civil and political rights and the violation of all international covenants and instruments relevant.
On this occasion .. do not forget the claim release of all prisoners of conscience on trial before the State Security Court, and hold the
Libyan authorities not to be subjected to any sanctions, deprivation of life, liberty, and we demand the release of all prisoners of opinion
in terms of their hardware.
Click here to read more>>
The new draft Penal Code
Devoted to the abuse of new freedoms and human rights violations
April 25, 2008
We followed with great concern and a symposium held at the Bar Association in Tripoli, which were the discussion of the draft new
Penal Code, the presence of the Minister of Justice and a group of jurists and lawyers, have been amended law review articles, and was
excessive in the death penalty and life imprisonment!!
This is in addition to changes to the law aimed at tightening the grip on the whole to the public freedoms, the more serious violations of
human rights in Libya, summarized as follows:
First: the violation of citizen's right to life, with many striking the death penalty to consider, an alarming new in the suppression of public
freedoms, and it was noted that the new law has abolished all the laws and extraordinary bad reputation, but that - and, alas - was
included in all materials repressive draft law New!! Which indicates the continuation of the Libyan authorities to persist in the
suppression of freedoms and rights violations and endangering the lives of various groups of people to the death penalty and long prison
term.
Second: the violation of citizen's right to freedom of expression, opinion and thought .. Where it came to providing for the death penalty
and life imprisonment in the so-called crime of hooliganism, a dangerous precedent in international regulations have not defined .. It did
not stop at this point, but it came to the criminalization of rumor and Alirjav and tendentious joke, the other was not known prior to the
human over the ages, not to mention the death penalty and imprisonment for each of the pro promoted theories or principles against the
state ..
III: the determination of the Libyan authorities to prosecute political opponents living outside the borders of the homeland, where he was
an aggravating circumstance in addition to the text of Article III of the Code of the criminalization of the party ((whether based inside or
outside)) is intended to both set up or established organization or gathering formations or hostile to the regime or the mass of the Libyan
people!! Whether this was a secret organization Ouallnia.
This is also against the freedom of opinion and thought, the vision and political ideas in an open and transparent, and thus it has also the
difference in the fight against the right of opinion and political pluralism, and therefore could be used in this text is in default on any
opponent resident outside the organization is a party or gathering or hostile to the regime, a pretext for controlling and brought ..
Fourth: In order to prosecute political opponents outside the country .. Been developed to fabricate or other crime in line with
international trends in the so-called fight against terrorism .. This crime, which has no standard definition .. What is a terrorist in the eyes
of a particular system might be a struggler in the eyes of others .. Thus the fear of exploitation of the charge in the prosecution of any
opposition to the system residing outside the country after being charged with terrorism, the protection and the loss of international
legitimacy and become an international manhunt and is required!!
.. Accordingly, we show our deep concern and Khchitna on public freedoms and human rights file in Libya .. A result of these
amendments unjust and inevitably leading to more serious violations, added to the record of such violations for the past four decades ..
and declare our adherence to the need to eliminate all sanctions restricting freedom of speech and of opinion and expression and freedom
of thought .. And violation of all civil and political rights and the violation of all international covenants and instruments relevant.
On this occasion .. do not forget the claim release of all prisoners of conscience on trial before the State Security Court, and hold the
Libyan authorities not to be subjected to any sanctions, deprivation of life, liberty, and we demand the release of all prisoners of opinion
in terms of their hardware.
Click here to read more>>
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Col. Muammar Abu Minyar
al-Qadhafi
Revolutionary Leader since 1 September 1969
al-Qadhafi
Revolutionary Leader since 1 September 1969
| TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS |
Current situation: Libya is a transit and destination country for men and women from sub-Saharan Africa and Asia trafficked for
the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation
Tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - - Libya is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to
address trafficking in persons in 2007 when compared to 2006, particularly in the area of investigating and prosecuting trafficking
offenses; Libya did not publicly release any data on investigations or punishment of any trafficking offenses (2008)
the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation
Tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - - Libya is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to
address trafficking in persons in 2007 when compared to 2006, particularly in the area of investigating and prosecuting trafficking
offenses; Libya did not publicly release any data on investigations or punishment of any trafficking offenses (2008)
