There were widespread violations and abuses of human rights in 2017 in Libya. This was a consequence of political divisions and the absence of functioning state institutions, which gave rise to a culture of impunity. The proliferation of unaccountable armed groups exacerbated the situation. This bleak picture was compounded by the ongoing humanitarian crisis, with over 400,000 people internally displaced and with serious disruptions in the provision of public services. A critical human rights issue was the abuse of migrants in detention, including credible reports of people being sold into slavery.

At the UN Human Rights Council in March, the UK co-sponsored a resolution on increasing accountability for human rights violations and abuses in Libya. The resolution called on the UN OHCHR to conduct investigations, and for relevant special procedures mandate holders to visit.

As highlighted in October by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, [38] Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, armed groups continued to murder civilians and combatants or to hold them hostage. They arbitrarily detained thousands of people, and often subjected them to torture and other mistreatment. One of the worst incidents was the killing of over 100 soldiers after an extremist group attacked Brak al-Shati airbase on 18 May. There were also multiple reports of summary executions around Benghazi. In August, ambassadors to Libya of the UN Security Council P5 (UK, US, France, Russia and China) welcomed[39] the International Criminal Court's issue of a warrant for the arrest of Mahmoud Al-Werfalli, a commander in the Libyan National Army, for suspected war crimes. In November, an armed group kidnapped and murdered Mohamed Eshtewi, the Mayor of Misrata.

Thousands of migrants continued to enter Libya with ease, facilitated by traffickers who were members of Libyan militias or colluding with them. Following reports of migrants being forced into slavery, the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Alistair Burt, raised our concerns with the Libyan Deputy Prime Minister, Ahmed Omar Maiteeq, on 1 December. The Libyan government has undertaken to conduct an investigation into this issue. The matter was raised in Parliament in a debate on 18 December in Westminster Hall, in which Alistair Burt set out the UK position. The British Ambassador to Libya has further underlined our concerns about these reports in discussions with the Libyan government. We will continue to monitor the situation closely. The UK is funding projects, bilaterally and via the EU, to provide critical humanitarian assistance and protection, facilitate voluntary returns, protect female migrants from abuse, and address the root causes of migration.

The UK provided humanitarian support to people displaced by the conflict, including supplies and technical support to medical centres, and support to migrants held in detention. We continued to encourage the Government of National Accord to prioritise respect for universal human rights and do more to protect the most vulnerable such as migrants and members of minority groups. During his visit to Libya in August, the then Foreign Secretary, Boris Johnson, emphasised the importance of offering humanitarian support to migrants.

Libya's long-term stability will be closely linked to the extent to which women are able to participate in public life and are both included in and represented by their government. Women and LGBT people continued to face discrimination. The Libyan authorities, and many traditional elements in Libyan society, view women's rights as a secondary priority. Although quotas for women have helped ensure a growing role for women in the political process, the increasing numbers have not translated proportionately into influence, in part because of cultural obstacles. Violence against women is underreported, but several high-profile incidents of rape provoked strong public reactions. Libya continues to be a focus country in the UK's National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security. The UK government is funding a £2.75 million programme to support women's participation in peace-making and rebuilding Libya through capacity-building training for over 20 Libyan civil society organisations. The UK is working with the Ministry of Education on areas such as national curriculum reform and teacher training.

Insecurity and the predominance of illiberal currents had a chilling effect on freedom of expression, association, assembly, and religion or belief. For example, Salafist and Jihadist armed groups destroyed Sufi shrines across the country. Libya's national minorities continued to suffer persecution and political exclusion on religious and ethnic grounds. Human rights defenders, journalists and civil society organisations also regularly faced intimidation and violence from armed groups as well as unlawful detention.

The UK sought to raise international awareness of unlawful restrictions of the Libyan people's fundamental freedoms, including in our joint Human Rights Day Statement[40] on 10 December with other embassies to Libya. Through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, we funded programmes in Libya to support peace mediation and local level stability, women's rights, civil society and freedom of speech.

In 2018, the UK will continue to support UN-led efforts towards a sustainable political settlement under the framework of the Libyan Political Agreement, and to advocate for an improvement in the human rights situation in Libya. A stable, unified, inclusive government is the best way to improve the security conditions, the economic fortunes and human rights situation for millions of Libyans. It will also improve our ability to bring an end to the impunity of armed groups and ungoverned spaces which are inextricably linked to the gravely concerning human rights situation, including people trafficking as part of modern slavery.


[38] https://unsmil.unmissions.org/statement-un-high-commissioner-human-rights-zeid-ra'ad-al-hussein-end-visit-libya

[39] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/joint-statement-on-the-recent-violence-around-brak-al-shatti-airbase

[40] https://www.facebook.com/ukinlibya/posts/1719470281459914

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