Amnesty wants GNC to tackle human rights

Amnesty International has called on the General National Congress to take immediate action to establish the rule of law and address the human rights abuses which still plague the country.

In its ‘Human Rights Manifesto for Libya’ Amnesty outlines 10 steps that the new government urgently needs to take to show its commitment to fighting for human rights.

The manifesto repeatedly calls for Libyan law to be brought into line with international law. It draws particular attention to Law 38 of 2012 which grants “blanket immunity” for any acts “made necessary by the 17 February revolution.” It also calls for Article 2 of Law 38, “which gives legal weight to interrogations by armed militias and other bodies” to be abolished.

In support of freedom of expression and media, Amnesty also urges the new government to implement “measures to protect journalists, activists and others who speak out about ongoing violations committed by armed militias.”

The 10 steps of the manifesto are:

• Rein in armed militias
• End arbitrary arrest and detention
• Combat torture or other ill-treatment
• Reform the judiciary and guarantee fair trials
• Reform security and law enforcement bodies
• End impunity
• Guarantee freedoms of expression, association and assembly
• Ensure that displaced communities can go home
• Promote women’s rights and end discrimination
• Combat racism, xenophobia and discrimination

“The GNC has an opportunity to break with the cycle of human rights abuse and impunity that characterised four decades of systematic human rights abuses, impunity for the government’s supporters and security forces and repression of any form of dissent,” Amnesty said.

Source: Libya Herald