Thousands arbitrarily detained by armed groups in Libya: UN report

TRIPOLI, April 10 (Xinhua) -- The UN on Tuesday issued a report revealing that armed groups in Libya have detained thousands of people arbitrarily and unlawfully.

"Armed groups across Libya hold thousands of men, women and children in prolonged arbitrary and unlawful detention, and subject them to torture and other human rights violations and abuses," said a report issued by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in cooperation with the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL).

"Men, women and children across Libya are arbitrarily detained or unlawfully deprived of their liberty based on their tribal or family links and perceived political affiliations," the report added.

"Victims have little or no recourse to judicial remedy or reparations, while members of armed groups enjoy total impunity," it said.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, said the report "lays bare not only the appalling abuses and violations experienced by Libyans deprived of their liberty, but the sheer horror and arbitrariness of such detentions, both for the victims and their families."

As of October 2017, Nearly 6,500 people were estimated to be held in official prisons overseen by the Libyan authorities, the report said.

The report noted that detainees allegedly died in custody of armed groups, and hundreds of them were uncovered in streets, hospitals, and rubbish dumps.

The reports demanded that all those detained arbitrarily or unlawfully to be transferred to official prisons under effective and exclusive state control.

"Failure to act will not only inflict additional suffering on thousands of detainees and their families and lead to further loss of life. It will also be detrimental to any stabilization, peace building and reconciliation efforts," the report warned. Enditem