a human rights defender

Cases

From Country

Country Geolocation

Latitude: 26.3351

Longitude: 17.228331

From Region

UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report

Type of rights defended

Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?: No

Reported trigger of reprisal: human rights activities and visits to the UN compound

Engagement with UN body

Type of attempted engagement

Meeting with UN officials during country visit / with locally present UN officials

Reprisal information

In early March 2023, a human rights defender was summoned for questioning by security agents at Mitiga airport base prison. The following day, the defender was questioned about human rights activities and visits to the UN compound and was made aware that the days and details of meetings with the UN were known to the security agents. The defender was informed that interactions with the UN (and international NGOs) could be considered a hostile action against the State and an act of espionage punishable with heavy penalties. Security agents confiscated the defender’s passport, and currently the defender is reportedly banned from leaving Libyan territory until further notice. In March 2023, another human rights defender and victim of human rights violations, reportedly received death threats via text messages from a state security actor in the east, accusing the defender of providing information to UNSMIL HRS.

Types of reprisals suffered

Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?: Yes

Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?: No

Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?: No

Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?: No

#EndReprisals