OMCT - World Organisation Against Torture

01/20/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/20/2025 05:55

Urgent Call: Libyan Arab Armed Forces Must Be Held Accountable for Torture Crimes Committed in Garnada

The World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the Libyan Anti-Torture Network (LAN) condemn the systematic and widespread torture documented within Garnada Prison in eastern Libya. For years, Libyan authorities have been urged to ensure accountability for military and security forces implicated in grave human rights violations, yet these abuses persist. The horrific acts of torture revealed in recently emerged videos demand immediate investigation and action. These acts constitute grave breaches of international humanitarian law, human rights law, and Libyan law.

Videos allegedly filmed in 2020 within Garnada Prison depict detainees brutally beaten with iron rods, subjected to agonizing postures, and humiliated by individuals in military uniforms affiliated with the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF). Interviews with former detainees corroborate these accounts, with witnesses identifying the prison, torturers, and detailing further abuses, including sexual assault by foreign nationals acting under the orders of LAAF officers. These testimonies paint a grim picture of the suffering endured within Garnada's walls.

"I witnessed the death of more than 15 inmates in 5 years, and perhaps more, I don't know! The prison building is large… and we were usually tortured on the ground floor."

Beyond the physical violence, detainees suffered food and water deprivation, overcrowding, prolonged solitary confinement, and forced labor. Medical reports from survivors document fractures and other severe injuries resulting from torture methods such as suspension by the wrists and flogging. The systematic and brutal nature of these abuses demands immediate attention.

The OMCT and LAN call upon all Libyan judicial authorities, the military prosecutor's office, and the Attorney General to take immediate action to investigate the crimes committed in Garnada Prison. The LAAF and its high-ranking commanders must be held responsible for these atrocities. This is a critical moment for Libya to prioritise transitional justice and accountability, ensuring that perpetrators are prosecuted and survivors receive the rehabilitation, reparation, and compensation they deserve.

Read the full paper in English here.

Read the full paper in Arabic here.