| 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 02/16/11 |
| CAPITAL |
| POPULATION |
| CHIEF OF STATE |
| SELECTION PROCESS |
Tripoli
6,461,454
note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2010 est.)
note: includes 166,510 non-nationals (July 2010 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; election last held in March 2010
Next scheduled election: early- 2011
committees; election last held in March 2010
Next scheduled election: early- 2011
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: early-2011
committees; Head of Government elected by the General
People's Congress; election last held 1 March 2009
Next scheduled election: early-2011
| 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 in March 2010 (next elections expected in early 2011)
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 in March 2010 (next elections expected in early 2011)
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 80% of government revenue. 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 Corporation (NOC) set a goal of nearly doubling oil production to 3 million bbl/day by 2012. In November 2009, the
NOC announced that that target may slip to as late as 2017. 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 80% of government revenue. 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 Corporation (NOC) set a goal of nearly doubling oil production to 3 million bbl/day by 2012. In November 2009, the
NOC announced that that target may slip to as late as 2017. 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 |
2009 Human Rights Report: Libya
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
March 11, 2010
The Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya is an authoritarian regime with a population of approximately 6.3 million, ruled by
Colonel Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi since 1969. The country's governing principles are derived predominantly from 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. After elections in March,
Secretary of the General People's Committee al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi (prime minister equivalent) and the delegates of the 760-member
General People's Congress began three-year terms. In practice 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.
Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices
March 11, 2010
The Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya is an authoritarian regime with a population of approximately 6.3 million, ruled by
Colonel Mu'ammar al-Qadhafi since 1969. The country's governing principles are derived predominantly from 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. After elections in March,
Secretary of the General People's Committee al-Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi (prime minister equivalent) and the delegates of the 760-member
General People's Congress began three-year terms. In practice 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.
- Continuing problems included reported disappearances;
- torture;
- arbitrary arrest;
- lengthy pretrial and sometimes incommunicado detention;
- official impunity;
- poor prison conditions.
- Denial of fair public trial by an independent judiciary, political prisoners and detainees, and the lack of judicial recourse for alleged
human rights violations were also problems. - The government instituted new restrictions on media freedom and continued to restrict freedom of speech (including Internet and
academic freedom). - It continued to impede the freedom of assembly, freedom of association, and civil liberties.
- The government did not fully protect the rights of migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees, and in some cases participated in their
abuse. - Other problems included restrictions on freedom of religion;
- corruption and lack of transparency;
- discrimination against women, ethnic minorities, and foreign workers;
- trafficking in persons;
- restriction of labor rights.
4 January 2011
Human Rights Council
Sixteenth session
Agenda item 6
Universal Periodic Review
Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review*
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Introduction
1. The Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, established in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, held its
ninth session from 1 to 12 November 2010. The review of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya was held at the 13 meeting, on 9 November
2010. The delegation of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya was headed by the Vice-Minister for European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Abdulati I. Alobidi. At its 17th meeting, held on 12 November 2010, the Working Group adopted the report on the Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya.
2. On 21 June 2010, the Human Rights Council selected the following group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of the Libyan
Arab Jamahiriya: Argentina, Norway and Senegal.
I. Summary of the proceedings of the review process
5. During the interactive dialogue, statements were made by 46 delegations. A number of delegations commended the Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya for the preparation and presentation of its national report, noting the broad consultation process with stakeholders in the
preparation phase. Several delegations also noted with appreciation the country’s commitment to upholding human rights on the ground.
Additional statements, which could not be delivered during the interactive dialogue owing to time constraints, will be posted on
the extranet of the universal periodic review when available.1 Recommendations made during the dialogue are found in section II of the
present report.
A. Presentation by the State under review
6. The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya stated that it highly valued the universal periodic review as one of the most important human rights
mechanisms in the United Nations, in which all countries were equal. It was a neutral, non-selective mechanism, with no double
standards.
7. The delegation noted that the national report had been prepared in a transparent and consultative manner. A national committee had
been established with the participation of representatives from all relevant sectors. Consultations with civil society organizations and
relevant stakeholders had also been held.
8. The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya believed that the promotion and protection of human rights was one of the most important factors for the
progress and development of the people. The first declaration of the Great Alfateh Revolution in 1969 had called for equality and non-
discrimination, and in 1977 the People’s Authority had been declared.
Click here to read more »
Human Rights Council
Sixteenth session
Agenda item 6
Universal Periodic Review
Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review*
Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Introduction
1. The Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review, established in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, held its
ninth session from 1 to 12 November 2010. The review of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya was held at the 13 meeting, on 9 November
2010. The delegation of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya was headed by the Vice-Minister for European Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Abdulati I. Alobidi. At its 17th meeting, held on 12 November 2010, the Working Group adopted the report on the Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya.
2. On 21 June 2010, the Human Rights Council selected the following group of rapporteurs (troika) to facilitate the review of the Libyan
Arab Jamahiriya: Argentina, Norway and Senegal.
I. Summary of the proceedings of the review process
5. During the interactive dialogue, statements were made by 46 delegations. A number of delegations commended the Libyan Arab
Jamahiriya for the preparation and presentation of its national report, noting the broad consultation process with stakeholders in the
preparation phase. Several delegations also noted with appreciation the country’s commitment to upholding human rights on the ground.
Additional statements, which could not be delivered during the interactive dialogue owing to time constraints, will be posted on
the extranet of the universal periodic review when available.1 Recommendations made during the dialogue are found in section II of the
present report.
A. Presentation by the State under review
6. The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya stated that it highly valued the universal periodic review as one of the most important human rights
mechanisms in the United Nations, in which all countries were equal. It was a neutral, non-selective mechanism, with no double
standards.
7. The delegation noted that the national report had been prepared in a transparent and consultative manner. A national committee had
been established with the participation of representatives from all relevant sectors. Consultations with civil society organizations and
relevant stakeholders had also been held.
8. The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya believed that the promotion and protection of human rights was one of the most important factors for the
progress and development of the people. The first declaration of the Great Alfateh Revolution in 1969 had called for equality and non-
discrimination, and in 1977 the People’s Authority had been declared.
Click here to read more »
U.N. Human Rights Council Continues To Earn Failing Grades
Washington
September 15, 2010
Freedom House today released its annual report on the progress of the United Nations Human Rights Council during the last year.
Findings from the UN Human Rights Council Report Card show that the Council, whose membership has become increasingly populated
by authoritarian countries, continues to earn failing grades on its ability to respond to the world’s most pressing human rights issues.
Freedom House released the report at the start of the Council’s 15th session, which runs from September 13 to October 1. While the
report finds that the Council did benefit from the presence of the United States during its first year on the Council, it is plagued by a
deeply flawed elections process that results in a membership unwilling to call countries, such as Iran, to account for their abuses and
that continues to attack the UN system’s best protection mechanism, its independent experts.
“When the United States finally stepped up to the plate, we saw an immediate, albeit modest, impact,” said Paula Schriefer, acting
executive director of Freedom House. “But the U.S. and Europe cannot, and will not, rescue the Human Rights Council. We need
democracies in Latin America, Asia, and Africa to invest resources in protecting human rights at the global level.”
Key findings include:
* The Council receives a failing grade on 4 of the 12 criteria and passing grades in only 2 criteria.
* Elections to the Council have seen a steady decrease in the number of countries with strong human rights credentials running for and
obtaining seats.
* In its inaugural year on the Council, the United States received its first ever passing grade, particularly for its leadership in
shepherding improved votes by democracies on key resolutions.
* The accreditation process for NGOs has become appallingly politicized and is dominated by some of the world’s most aggressive
opponents of universal standards on human rights, while democracies again fall short.
* The quality and reporting of the UN’s special rapporteurs continue to bring the Council its highest marks, while pressure to eliminate
country-specific experts and weaken other thematic mandates continues.
* The Council failed to issue a condemnatory resolution on Iran and on a number of countries with ongoing systematic abuses such as
Belarus, China, Cuba, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Syria. It continued its disproportionate focus on Israel.
Click here to read more »
Washington
September 15, 2010
Freedom House today released its annual report on the progress of the United Nations Human Rights Council during the last year.
Findings from the UN Human Rights Council Report Card show that the Council, whose membership has become increasingly populated
by authoritarian countries, continues to earn failing grades on its ability to respond to the world’s most pressing human rights issues.
Freedom House released the report at the start of the Council’s 15th session, which runs from September 13 to October 1. While the
report finds that the Council did benefit from the presence of the United States during its first year on the Council, it is plagued by a
deeply flawed elections process that results in a membership unwilling to call countries, such as Iran, to account for their abuses and
that continues to attack the UN system’s best protection mechanism, its independent experts.
“When the United States finally stepped up to the plate, we saw an immediate, albeit modest, impact,” said Paula Schriefer, acting
executive director of Freedom House. “But the U.S. and Europe cannot, and will not, rescue the Human Rights Council. We need
democracies in Latin America, Asia, and Africa to invest resources in protecting human rights at the global level.”
Key findings include:
* The Council receives a failing grade on 4 of the 12 criteria and passing grades in only 2 criteria.
* Elections to the Council have seen a steady decrease in the number of countries with strong human rights credentials running for and
obtaining seats.
* In its inaugural year on the Council, the United States received its first ever passing grade, particularly for its leadership in
shepherding improved votes by democracies on key resolutions.
* The accreditation process for NGOs has become appallingly politicized and is dominated by some of the world’s most aggressive
opponents of universal standards on human rights, while democracies again fall short.
* The quality and reporting of the UN’s special rapporteurs continue to bring the Council its highest marks, while pressure to eliminate
country-specific experts and weaken other thematic mandates continues.
* The Council failed to issue a condemnatory resolution on Iran and on a number of countries with ongoing systematic abuses such as
Belarus, China, Cuba, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Syria. It continued its disproportionate focus on Israel.
Click here to read more »
Libya urged to end protest crackdown
16 February 2011
Amnesty International is calling on the Libyan government to end its clampdown on peaceful political activists after violence erupted at
demonstrations in the city of Benghazi following the arrest of activists ahead of a protest planned for Thursday.
Hundreds of people took part in demonstrations on Wednesday following the arrests of Fathi Terbel and Fraj Esharani, both members of
the Abu Salim families’ organising committee set up by relatives of victims of a prison massacre in 1996, and three other activists.
They were leading calls for a major demonstration on 17 February in support of calls for far-reaching political reforms, inspired by
similar protests in Tunisia and Egypt.
“The Libyan authorities must allow peaceful protests, not try to stifle them with heavy-handed repression, said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty
International’s director for the Middle East and North Africa.
“Libyans have the same rights as Egyptians and Tunisians to express discontent and call for reform in their own country, and it is high
time the Libyan government recognized that and respect it.”
“People should not be locked up simply because they call for peaceful protests. Libyans have a right to expect reforms, not arrests,
detentions and further state repression," said Malcolm Smart.
Fathi Terbel and Fraj Esharani were released after being detained for several hours. Boubaker Mohamed al-Alouani and Salem Mohamed
al-Alouani, both members of the Abu Salim families’ organizing committee. It is unclear whether they have yet been released.
The arrests prompted an immediate popular response. Crowds gathered outside a security forces building in Benghazi calling for the
release of Fathi Terbel and Fraj Esharani.
More than a dozen people were reported to have been injured after the protestors later clashed with supporters of the Libyan leader
Muammar Gaddafi, in power since 1969, in Benghazi’s Shajara Square and Jamal Abdennacer street.
Security forces then used tear gas and water canons to disperse the protesters.
Click here to read more »
16 February 2011
Amnesty International is calling on the Libyan government to end its clampdown on peaceful political activists after violence erupted at
demonstrations in the city of Benghazi following the arrest of activists ahead of a protest planned for Thursday.
Hundreds of people took part in demonstrations on Wednesday following the arrests of Fathi Terbel and Fraj Esharani, both members of
the Abu Salim families’ organising committee set up by relatives of victims of a prison massacre in 1996, and three other activists.
They were leading calls for a major demonstration on 17 February in support of calls for far-reaching political reforms, inspired by
similar protests in Tunisia and Egypt.
“The Libyan authorities must allow peaceful protests, not try to stifle them with heavy-handed repression, said Malcolm Smart, Amnesty
International’s director for the Middle East and North Africa.
“Libyans have the same rights as Egyptians and Tunisians to express discontent and call for reform in their own country, and it is high
time the Libyan government recognized that and respect it.”
“People should not be locked up simply because they call for peaceful protests. Libyans have a right to expect reforms, not arrests,
detentions and further state repression," said Malcolm Smart.
Fathi Terbel and Fraj Esharani were released after being detained for several hours. Boubaker Mohamed al-Alouani and Salem Mohamed
al-Alouani, both members of the Abu Salim families’ organizing committee. It is unclear whether they have yet been released.
The arrests prompted an immediate popular response. Crowds gathered outside a security forces building in Benghazi calling for the
release of Fathi Terbel and Fraj Esharani.
More than a dozen people were reported to have been injured after the protestors later clashed with supporters of the Libyan leader
Muammar Gaddafi, in power since 1969, in Benghazi’s Shajara Square and Jamal Abdennacer street.
Security forces then used tear gas and water canons to disperse the protesters.
Click here to read more »
Libya: Investigate Death-in-Custody Case
Documents Reveal Security Officers Were Protected From Prosecution; UN Intervention Sought
November 19, 2010
(Geneva) - Recently obtained documents show that Libya's security chief blocked an investigation into the death in detention in 2006 of a
man being held under questionable circumstances, the human rights groups Alkarama, TRIAL (Track Impunity Always), and Human
Rights Watch said today.
The organizations recently obtained a prosecutor's report into the death of Ismail Al Khazmi, a 30-year-old engineer, showing that the
public security secretary, or minister, at the time, Gen. Saleh Ragab, refused to allow the prosecution to open an investigation into the
role of public security agents in the death. Al Khazmi's case highlights the lack of accountability for Internal Security Officers, the three
groups said.
"General Ragab's refusal to allow this investigation is only the latest example of the Interior Ministry's interference in judicial
investigations into security misdeeds," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "The
impunity for Libyan security services is probably the single greatest cause of disrespect for the rule of law in Libya."
Sources in Libya who were close to Al Khazmi and who said they had direct, personal information about the circumstances surrounding
his arrest told the three organizations that on June 17, 2006, the Libyan Internal Security Agency, a division of the General People's
Committee for Public Security, or Interior Ministry, arrested Al Khazmi, a petrochemical engineer, at his workplace.
The sources said officers did not show a warrant or give reasons for the arrest and that the Al Khazmi's whereabouts were not revealed
for 12 days. They said that despite numerous attempts during this time, his family was unable to get any information about his fate or
place of imprisonment.
Alkarama, TRIAL, and Human Rights Watch obtained a copy of a report dated March 26, 2009, from Chief State Security Prosecutor
Mostafa al-Mabrook Salama to Justice Secretary Mostafa Abdeljalil.
The report states that in April 2007, the prosecutor's office summoned Al Khazmi's family to receive his body for burial, and gave them
a medical report dated November 15, 2006, which said he had died of natural causes from a heart attack. It says that Al Khazmi's father
refused to receive the body, insisting to the prosecutor that his son did not have a heart condition. The report said that Al Khazmi's father
filed a formal request with the prosecution on May 3 for a second forensic medical investigation.
The organizations have also obtained a copy of the report of the second autopsy, performed by a committee of three forensic medical
doctors on September 11, 2007, and delivered to the prosecution on September 17, which concluded:
Click here to read more »
Documents Reveal Security Officers Were Protected From Prosecution; UN Intervention Sought
November 19, 2010
(Geneva) - Recently obtained documents show that Libya's security chief blocked an investigation into the death in detention in 2006 of a
man being held under questionable circumstances, the human rights groups Alkarama, TRIAL (Track Impunity Always), and Human
Rights Watch said today.
The organizations recently obtained a prosecutor's report into the death of Ismail Al Khazmi, a 30-year-old engineer, showing that the
public security secretary, or minister, at the time, Gen. Saleh Ragab, refused to allow the prosecution to open an investigation into the
role of public security agents in the death. Al Khazmi's case highlights the lack of accountability for Internal Security Officers, the three
groups said.
"General Ragab's refusal to allow this investigation is only the latest example of the Interior Ministry's interference in judicial
investigations into security misdeeds," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch. "The
impunity for Libyan security services is probably the single greatest cause of disrespect for the rule of law in Libya."
Sources in Libya who were close to Al Khazmi and who said they had direct, personal information about the circumstances surrounding
his arrest told the three organizations that on June 17, 2006, the Libyan Internal Security Agency, a division of the General People's
Committee for Public Security, or Interior Ministry, arrested Al Khazmi, a petrochemical engineer, at his workplace.
The sources said officers did not show a warrant or give reasons for the arrest and that the Al Khazmi's whereabouts were not revealed
for 12 days. They said that despite numerous attempts during this time, his family was unable to get any information about his fate or
place of imprisonment.
Alkarama, TRIAL, and Human Rights Watch obtained a copy of a report dated March 26, 2009, from Chief State Security Prosecutor
Mostafa al-Mabrook Salama to Justice Secretary Mostafa Abdeljalil.
The report states that in April 2007, the prosecutor's office summoned Al Khazmi's family to receive his body for burial, and gave them
a medical report dated November 15, 2006, which said he had died of natural causes from a heart attack. It says that Al Khazmi's father
refused to receive the body, insisting to the prosecutor that his son did not have a heart condition. The report said that Al Khazmi's father
filed a formal request with the prosecution on May 3 for a second forensic medical investigation.
The organizations have also obtained a copy of the report of the second autopsy, performed by a committee of three forensic medical
doctors on September 11, 2007, and delivered to the prosecution on September 17, which concluded:
Click here to read more »
Speech by His Excellency Mr. Musa Kousa, Secretary of the General People’s Committee for Foreign Liaison
and International Cooperation & Head of the Libyan Delegation
Delivered before The Sixty Fifth Session of the United Nations General Assembly
New York, 28 September 2010
Last year, and in this international forum, Brother Muammar al-Qaddhafi, the leader of the Revolution raised also the issue of the political
assassinations against world prominent symbols and personalities such as Dag Hammarskjöld, John Kennedy, Patrice Lumumba, Matrin
Luther king, Morris Bishop and many leaders of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement. Those despicable acts shocked the
conscience of all humanity and aroused the indignation and resentment of the freemen worldwide; however justice was never applied and
the perpetrators were never prosecuted.
My country calls for the adoption of an effective international mechanism to ensure impartial and serious investigation in order to reveal
the conditions, circumstances and the perpetrators behind all these assassinations, and those who stood behind them.
Another suggestion raised is finding an alternative headquarters to the current headquarters of the International Organization. As we are
all aware, exceptional historical factors and circumstances played an essential role in choosing the Host Country for the Headquarters.
With the change of these circumstances, it is essential; for the good performance and proceedings of the organization and the accredited
diplomatic missions, to work together to move its headquarters to another seat. Therefore, we call upon the General Assembly to
establish an open-ended group to consider the question in the framework of the offers submitted by member States, including the offer
of the Jamahiriya.
Before closing, I would like to condemn the deliberate confusion between the terrible phenomenon of terrorism and the biased distortion
of the struggle of colonized peoples. We believe in the right of peoples to resist foreign occupation; and that the act of listing the
honorable liberation movements under the category of terrorist organizations can only entrench chaos, ambiguity and lack of clarity.
The way the struggle of the Palestinian people is being labeled constitutes prejudice against the legitimate struggle, fed by a racist creed
which denies the right of existence and self-determination of this oppressed people.
We are all concerned directly with the issues raised, and they are all worthy of our attention and deep thinking. In face of those
tremendous challenges, Libya wishes that serious measures shall be taken to enhance the role of the General Assembly; its powers;
effectiveness and efficiency to become the body that best represents the interests of all peoples.
Click here to read more »
and International Cooperation & Head of the Libyan Delegation
Delivered before The Sixty Fifth Session of the United Nations General Assembly
New York, 28 September 2010
Last year, and in this international forum, Brother Muammar al-Qaddhafi, the leader of the Revolution raised also the issue of the political
assassinations against world prominent symbols and personalities such as Dag Hammarskjöld, John Kennedy, Patrice Lumumba, Matrin
Luther king, Morris Bishop and many leaders of the Palestinian National Liberation Movement. Those despicable acts shocked the
conscience of all humanity and aroused the indignation and resentment of the freemen worldwide; however justice was never applied and
the perpetrators were never prosecuted.
My country calls for the adoption of an effective international mechanism to ensure impartial and serious investigation in order to reveal
the conditions, circumstances and the perpetrators behind all these assassinations, and those who stood behind them.
Another suggestion raised is finding an alternative headquarters to the current headquarters of the International Organization. As we are
all aware, exceptional historical factors and circumstances played an essential role in choosing the Host Country for the Headquarters.
With the change of these circumstances, it is essential; for the good performance and proceedings of the organization and the accredited
diplomatic missions, to work together to move its headquarters to another seat. Therefore, we call upon the General Assembly to
establish an open-ended group to consider the question in the framework of the offers submitted by member States, including the offer
of the Jamahiriya.
Before closing, I would like to condemn the deliberate confusion between the terrible phenomenon of terrorism and the biased distortion
of the struggle of colonized peoples. We believe in the right of peoples to resist foreign occupation; and that the act of listing the
honorable liberation movements under the category of terrorist organizations can only entrench chaos, ambiguity and lack of clarity.
The way the struggle of the Palestinian people is being labeled constitutes prejudice against the legitimate struggle, fed by a racist creed
which denies the right of existence and self-determination of this oppressed people.
We are all concerned directly with the issues raised, and they are all worthy of our attention and deep thinking. In face of those
tremendous challenges, Libya wishes that serious measures shall be taken to enhance the role of the General Assembly; its powers;
effectiveness and efficiency to become the body that best represents the interests of all peoples.
Click here to read more »
Libya frees 110 jailed Islamists
Feb 16, 2011
Libya has released 110 Islamists of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), the eve of a "Day of Anger" called by activists on
Facebook, an AFP correspondent witnessed.
The releases bring to 360 the number of political detainees freed since last March, according to figures compiled by AFP.
Libyan League For Human Rights head Mohammed Tarnish told journalists outside Tripoli's Abu Salim prison that the releases had been
scheduled months ago and were "unconnected to any other matter."
The releases came as clashes were reported in Benghazi, Libya's second city, ahead of Thursday's "Day of Anger" called in the wake of
revolts in neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia.
Before the latest releases, Libya had since March freed 250 prisoners including former LIFG leader Abdelhakim Belhaj, its military chief
Khaled Shrif and principal ideologue Sami Saadi, as well as members of various other Islamic groups.
Tarnish said "those released had completed the rehabilitation programme for the renunciation of violence and reintegration of prisoners
into Libyan society."
The programme was started by Seif al-Islam, son of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, with the help of cleric Ali Sallabi.
The LIFG in 2007 reaffirmed its determination to topple Kadhafi's regime and to replace it with an Islamic state, and also stated its
affiliation to Al-Qaeda.
It was run from Central Asia by a leading aide of Osama bin Laden, Abu Laith al-Libi, who was killed in February 2008 in the tribal areas
of Pakistan.
Click here to read more »
Feb 16, 2011
Libya has released 110 Islamists of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), the eve of a "Day of Anger" called by activists on
Facebook, an AFP correspondent witnessed.
The releases bring to 360 the number of political detainees freed since last March, according to figures compiled by AFP.
Libyan League For Human Rights head Mohammed Tarnish told journalists outside Tripoli's Abu Salim prison that the releases had been
scheduled months ago and were "unconnected to any other matter."
The releases came as clashes were reported in Benghazi, Libya's second city, ahead of Thursday's "Day of Anger" called in the wake of
revolts in neighbouring Egypt and Tunisia.
Before the latest releases, Libya had since March freed 250 prisoners including former LIFG leader Abdelhakim Belhaj, its military chief
Khaled Shrif and principal ideologue Sami Saadi, as well as members of various other Islamic groups.
Tarnish said "those released had completed the rehabilitation programme for the renunciation of violence and reintegration of prisoners
into Libyan society."
The programme was started by Seif al-Islam, son of Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, with the help of cleric Ali Sallabi.
The LIFG in 2007 reaffirmed its determination to topple Kadhafi's regime and to replace it with an Islamic state, and also stated its
affiliation to Al-Qaeda.
It was run from Central Asia by a leading aide of Osama bin Laden, Abu Laith al-Libi, who was killed in February 2008 in the tribal areas
of Pakistan.
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>>
| Click map for larger view |
| Click flag for Country Report |
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)
