Statement on the arrest and the torture of Egyptian citizens in Tarhouna-Libya
As a result of the great chaos witnessed in Libya during the last period due to internal fighting and ongoing military operations, especially on the outskirts of the capital and Western Libyan regions, vulnerable groups within society suffer from a miserable humanitarian situation, and are exposed to a group of human rights violations. One of these groups are foreign immigrants in Libya.
Where a group of Egyptian citizens, in a humiliating and unethical scene, were subjected to torture, arrest, and physical and psychological harm inside Tarhouna city during the control of the forces of the Government of National Accord. Social media users circulated a video of armed groups arresting dozens of Egyptian workers in Tarhouna city. The video shows the workers forced to stand on one foot, raise their hands upward, chanting insults and abusive words.
The United Nations Support Mission in Libya also issued a statement expressing its concern about the arrest, detention, and mistreatment of a large number of Egyptian citizens in the Libyan city of Tarhouna, and indicated that this matter is a violation of Libya’s obligations under international human rights law to prohibit torture and inhuman treatment or punishment, or degrading.
The Libyan Ministry of Interior had denounced the National Accord government for what was circulated in a video clip of the arrest of a number of Egyptians by an unknown group. The Ministry stated in an official statement that it is investigating the credibility of the incident and those responsible for it, if ever it was real,and it allocated a 5000 dollar-prize to help catch them. After less than 48 hours, it issued another official statement in which it announced that its judicial seizure bodies were able to spot the location of the abuse and was able to reveal the identity of those involved in this incident, and arrest them, in preparation for their referral to the Attorney General’s Office. The statement also pointed out that the Egyptian victims were identified as victims, and they are all fine, enjoy their freedom, and carry out their work without any restrictions and in a natural way. It is worth noting that the Egyptian victims have returned today 18 June 2020 to Egypt.
DAAM center condemns and denounces these criminal behaviors against these groups, who are among the most vulnerable groups during the conflict, and reminds everyone who engages in these behaviors that these crimes do not fall out of date and that the path of justice will prosecute the perpetrators inside the Libyan or at the international level. DAAM center also calls the Ministry of Interior and its affiliated bodies and all relevant related constituents to follow up the details of this crime, and requests the Libyan public prosecution to publish the results of investigations on the causes of this sordid crime and to reveal the fate of its perpetrators and bring them to justice so that such acts do not become a norm in times of conflict.
