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By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 29 January 2015:
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has demanded the outside world “press all sides” to end the bloodshed . . .[restrict]and to bring to justice those who are breaking international human rights law.
In its World Report 2015, HRW Executive Director Kenneth Roth urged governments to recognise that human rights offer an effective moral guide in turbulent times. Violating those rights could spark or aggravate security challenges.
With the outbreak of new armed conflicts and the further collapse of government authority in much of the country, human rights conditions in Libya had a reached their lowest point since the end of the revolt that toppled Muammar Qaddafi in 2011, the report said.
Clashes between armed militias starting in May have killed hundreds of people and displaced hundreds of thousands from their homes. In addition, the fighting has destroyed vital civilian infrastructure and caused severe shortages of food.
“Libya’s opposing political factions show utter disregard for civilian lives as they wage war against each other and commit war crimes and other serious abuses with impunity,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at HRW.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor, who has jurisdiction over crimes committed in Libya since February 15, 2011, has not opened any new investigations since the end of the 2011 revolution, claiming that the instability in Libya and lack of resources have made such efforts impossible.
The United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 2174 in the fall of 2014, threatening those in violation of international human rights law with sanctions, including travel bans and asset freezes, but has failed to follow through. [/restrict]
