Human rights violations during the Libyan civil war (2011)

Last updated

The outbreak of the Libyan Civil War was followed by accusations of human rights violations by rebel forces opposed to Muammar Gaddafi, Gaddafi's armed forces, and NATO. The alleged violations include rape, extrajudicial killings, ethnic cleansing, misconduct and bombings of civilians. [1]

Contents

Libyan Armed Forces

Claims of systematic shooting at protesters

Luis Moreno Ocampo, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, estimated that between 500 and 700 people were killed by Gaddafi's security forces in February 2011, before the rebels even took up arms. "Shooting at protesters was systematic," Moreno-Ocampo stated, discussing the Libyan government's response to the initial anti-government demonstrations. [2]

The Libyan government denied that they ordered killings of demonstrators in the early days of the uprising. They said that soldiers acted in self-defense as they were attacked by mobs. [3]

Moreno-Ocampo further stated that during the conflict, "War crimes are apparently committed as a matter of policy" by forces loyal to Gaddafi. [2] This is further supported by claims of Human Rights Watch, that 10 protesters, who had already agreed to lay down arms, were executed by a government paramilitary group in Bani Walid in May. [4]

In June 2011, an investigation carried out by Amnesty International claimed that allegations of use of anti-aircraft guns against crowds lack evidence, noting that rebels at times appeared to have made false claims or manufactured evidence. The used cartridges after protesters were shot at "came from Kalashnikovs or similar calibre weapons". According to the Amnesty investigation, "there is no proof of mass killing of civilians on the scale of Syria or Yemen", adding that in Bengazi 100 to 110 people were killed, and in Baida 59 to 64 people were killed. Most of these were probably protesters, and some might have had weapons. [5]

However, in a later report from Amnesty International it was found that "al-Gaddafi forces committed serious violations of international humanitarian law (IHL), including war crimes, and gross human rights violations, which point to the commission of crimes against humanity. They deliberately killed and injured scores of unarmed protesters; subjected perceived opponents and critics to enforced disappearance and torture and other ill- treatment and arbitrarily detained scores of civilians. They launched indiscriminate attacks and attacks targeting civilians in their efforts to regain control of Misratah and territory in the east. They launched artillery, mortar and rocket attacks against residential areas. They used inherently indiscriminate weapons such as anti-personnel land mines and cluster bombs,including in residential areas." [6]

In July 2011, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi had an interview with Russia Today , where he denied the ICC's allegations that he or his father ordered the killing of civilian protesters. He contended that as he was not a member of the government or the military, therefore he lacked the authority to give such orders. According to Saif, he made recorded calls to General Abdul Fatah Younis (who later defected to the rebel forces) to request that force not be used against protesters, to which Younis responded that they were attacking a military site, where surprised guards fired in self-defense. [7]

Allegations of mass rape

A Libyan psychologist, Seham Sergiwa, conducted a survey of refugees in Tunisia and Egypt to document the trauma of the civil war. Nearly 300 women were reported to have been raped by Gaddafi's forces. The real number could be much higher, considering the stigma attached to rape victims in Libyan society. Every single woman in the survey who admitted to being raped said they were raped by loyalist soldiers or militiamen. [8]

United Nations war-crimes expert M. Cherif Bassiouni, Human Rights Watch (HRW), Doctors Without Borders and Amnesty International stated that they found no evidence of systematic rape conducted by the Libyan government. Amnesty International's Donatella Rovera said that the Benghazi rebels had knowingly made false claims or manufactured evidence, quoting one example of pristine boxes of Viagra that the rebels said were found inside a totally burned out tank belonging to Gaddafi's troops. This raised serious doubts about the claim that Gaddafi handed out Viagra to his soldiers to enable them to rape more efficiently. [5] [9] [10]

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) collected testimony of eyewitness who reported that pro-Gaddafi forces transformed an elementary school into a detention site where they raped women and girls as young as 14 years old. [11] PHR also reports of honor killings that occurred in response to these rapes. [11]

Use of land mines as a means of war

Human Rights Watch has confirmed claims of rebels, that pro-Gaddafi forces used land mines frequently during the conflict. It found them on at least six different locations in Libya, mostly on frontlines of the Gaddafi forces. Among these land mines are not only anti-tank mines, but also anti-personnel mines, which can permanently pose a threat to civilians. [12] [13]

Shelling of civilian areas

Gaddafi forces have been accused by human-rights groups of shelling towns with heavy weapons, risking civilian lives indiscriminately. The most accusations refer to the siege of Misrata, accusing Gaddafi forces of targeting hospitals and civilian areas, also using internationally outlawed cluster bombs of Spanish production as ammunition, having risked the lives of civilians. [14] [15] [16]

Other abuses of non-combatants

A Human Rights Watch report documents the "unlawful occupation and terror of hospital staff" by pro-Government forces in Yafran in the western mountains, risking the lives of the patients and terrifying the staff contrary to international law. [17]

In August 2011, Physicians for Human Rights released a report documenting severe violations of human rights and evidence of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity in Misrata. Findings included that Qaddafi forces used civilians as human shields, attacked ambulances bearing the Red Crescent, destroyed religious buildings, and intentionally starved civilians. In the same report, PHR gave evidence to violations of medical neutrality, such as attacks on medical facilities, medical transport, and medical workers. [11]

Documents which obtained by The Guardian's sister newspaper The Observer also revealed that Gaddafi's senior generals had ordered bombarding and forced starvation in the city of Misrata, as well as the killing and rape of many of its people. [18] [19]

Anti-Gaddafi forces

Crimes against international humanitarian law

Execution of prisoners of war

A group of 15 to 22 Libyan army soldiers captured in Derna were reportedly executed in the neighboring village of Martuba. 20 kilometres (12 miles) [20] According to a widely circulated story, the men were claimed to have been "executed by their own officers for disobeying orders". [20]

Another group of 15 African mercenaries were publicly executed by hanging in front of the Bayda courthouse. [21]

Murder and torture of injured soldiers

On 17 February, the Bayda hospital admitted two injured men, one of darker complexion and the other of olive complexion. The men were accused of fighting against the rebels and being mercenaries. A hospital doctor claimed that the black man was murdered and hung by an angry mob that had gathered around the hospital. The other injured man was reportedly beaten, shot and returned to the emergency room. [20]

Lootings and beatings

In four towns in the western mountains captured in June by the opposition, HRW noticed looting of private property and beatings of alleged Gaddafi sympathizers by rebel forces. The National Transitional Council (NTC) then pledged to hold responsible the causers of the attacks and to prevent such abuses in the future. [22]

Killing of civilians

During the Battle of Sirte, the rebels were accused of killing civilians, including men, women, and children, while there were also reports of the rebels harassing and stealing from the locals. According to one resident, "The rebels are worse than rats. NATO is the same as Osama bin Laden." According to another local woman, "We lived in democracy under Muammar Gaddafi, he was not a dictator. I lived in freedom, Libyan women had full human rights. It isn't that we need Muammar Gaddafi again, but we want to live just as we did before." A local elderly woman stated "They are killing our children. Why are they doing this? For what? Life was good before!" [23]

NATO airstrikes

On 9 August, the Libyan government claimed that 85 civilians were killed in NATO airstrikes on the village of Majer near Zliten. [24] A NATO spokesman said that they were targeting four buildings in which nine vehicles were destroyed and that government claim "was not corroborated by available factual information at the site". [25] The Libyan government declared three days of national mourning. Reporters were later taken to a hospital where they saw at least 30 dead bodies, including the bodies of at least two young children. The Libyan government claimed that the bodies of others killed in the airstrikes were taken to other hospitals. Neither of these claims were independently verified, [26] although some media outlets came to the conclusion that it seemed more credible than usual that something tragic happened due to the presence of at least 14 bodies at one hospital, including an infant. [27]

Other

Allegations of Human rights watch groups falsifying claims

Some journalists have accused human-rights organizations of falsifying [28] claims, that Gaddafi was using mercenaries from other parts of Africa to attack protesters, [29] Among the sources pointing to the existence of mercenaries are the claims by Gaddafi's former Chief of Protocol Nouri Al Mismari, who has claimed the presence of mercenaries from countries such as Chad, Niger, and Mali. [30]

Murder of guest workers and black Libyans

The Chadian government called on coalition forces to protect its citizens in rebel-held areas in Libya. It claimed that dozens had been accused and executed for allegedly being mercenaries in the pay of Gaddafi. [31]

A Turkish oil worker reported witnessing the murder of 70 to 80 Sudanese and Chadian guest workers with pruning shears and axes by Libyans who accused them of being Gaddafi mercenaries. [32]

HRW's Peter Bouckaert visited Bayda where 156 supposed mercenaries were being held captive. He reported that these men were actually black Libyans from Southern Libya. He argued that the support of the black southern Libyans for the Gaddafi regime was explainable, as Gaddafi fought to counter discrimination against them in Libyan society. In the same interview, Bouckaert also said that those 156 individuals were released by the rebels less than two weeks after being captured. [28]

Killings of unarmed migrant workers by insurgents have been described. On 18 April, a British reporter who had just arrived at Benghazi by sea from Misrata described the sufferings of large numbers of migrant workers trapped in Misrata in a broadcast on BBC Radio 4. After mentioning casualties during government forces attack he said about the migrant workers that "…some have also died in clashes with the, err, rebel fighters. They were protesting about the conditions, demanding that they should be repatriated and on a couple of occasions this has led to the rebels opening fire and, err, people dying." [33]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Libya</span>

Human rights in Libya is the record of human rights upheld and violated in various stages of Libya's history. The Kingdom of Libya, from 1951 to 1969, was heavily influenced by the British and Y.R.K companies. Under the King, Libya had a constitution. The kingdom, however, was marked by a feudal regime. Due to the previous colonial regime, Libya had a low literacy rate of 10%, a low life expectancy of 57 years, with many people living in shanties and tents. Illiteracy and homelessness were chronic problems during this era, when iron shacks dotted many urban centres in the country.

Tawergha, also transliterated Tawargha, Tawarga, Tauorga, Taworgha, Tawurgha or Torghae, is, as of May 2021, a former ghost town in Libya that is under administrative jurisdiction of the city of Misrata, which is 38 kilometers away. It was the site of intense fighting during the Libyan Civil War before it was captured and forcibly evacuated by anti-Gaddafi forces in August 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Libyan civil war (2011)</span> 2011 armed conflict

The Libyan civil war, also known as the First Libyan Civil War, was an armed conflict in 2011 in the North African country of Libya that was fought between forces loyal to Colonel Muammar Gaddafi and rebel groups that were seeking to oust his government. The war was preceded by protests in Zawiya on 8 August 2009 and finally ignited by protests in Benghazi beginning on Tuesday 15 February 2011, which led to clashes with security forces who fired on the crowd. The protests escalated into a rebellion that spread across the country, with the forces opposing Gaddafi establishing an interim governing body, the National Transitional Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Battle of Misrata (2011)</span> Battle of the 2011 Libyan Civil War

The battle of Misrata, also known as the siege of Misrata, was a battle of the 2011 Libyan Civil War for the control of Misrata. It was fought between troops loyal to the government of Muammar Gaddafi, and anti-Gaddafi rebels who held Misrata, the third largest city in Libya. Following the initial stages of the uprising, the Libyan government retook most towns in the west of the country, leaving Misrata the only major city under rebel control in Tripolitania. The city soon became the site of one of the war's major battles and the suffering of its citizens gained worldwide attention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Khamis Brigade</span> Military unit

The Khamis Brigade, formally the 32nd Reinforced Brigade of the Armed People, was a regime security brigade of the Libyan Armed Forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi, the leader of Libya from 1969 until 2011. The 32nd Brigade was commanded by Gaddafi's youngest son, Khamis Gaddafi and was called "the most well-trained and well-equipped force in the Libyan military" and "the most important military and security elements of the regime" in leaked U.S. memos.

Khamis Gaddafi was the seventh and youngest son of former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, and the military commander in charge of the Khamis Brigade of the Libyan Army. He was part of his father's inner circle. During the First Libyan Civil War, he was a major target for rebel forces trying to overthrow his father.

Estimates of deaths in the 2011 Libyan vary with figures from 15,000 to 30,000 given between March 2 and October 2, 2011. An exact figure is hard to ascertain, partly due to a media clamp-down by the Libyan government. Some conservative estimates have been released. Some of the killing "may amount to crimes against humanity" according to the United Nations Security Council and as of March 2011, is under investigation by the International Criminal Court.

The Nafusa Mountains campaign was a series of battles in the Libyan Civil War, fought between loyalist pro-Gaddafi forces and rebel anti-Gaddafi forces in the Nafusa Mountains and, at a later period, in the surrounding plains of western Libya. The mountain range is of strategic importance due to its close proximity to Tripoli, the Libyan capital. Along with the city of Misrata, the Nafusa Mountains region was one of the major rebel strongholds in the Tripolitania region of the country.

The Battle of the Misrata frontline was a battle during the Libyan Civil War between pro-Gaddafi loyalists and anti-Gaddafi forces on the western and southwestern outskirts of Misrata, the third largest city in Libya. It ended when anti-Gaddafi soldiers secured Zliten to the west and Tawergha to the south, establishing a significant buffer zone around the city.

The Battle of Zliten followed an unsuccessful uprising in Zliten, Libya, during the Libyan Civil War. It began on 21 July 2011 when elements of the National Liberation Army, part of the anti-Gaddafi forces seeking to overthrow the government of Muammar Gaddafi, moved into the city of Zliten after struggling over the course of the past several months to extend the frontline westward from Misrata, the second-largest city in rebel hands.

The 2011 Libyan rape allegations were controversial allegations that Gaddafi's forces in Libya were committing mass rape during the 2011 Libyan civil war. Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Luis Moreno Ocampo said "we have information that there was a policy to rape in Libya those who were against the government." Libyan psychologist Seham Sergiwa said she distributed questionnaires in opposition-held areas and along the Libya–Tunisia border, and 259 women responded that they were raped. Sergiwa told Amnesty International's specialist on Libya that she had lost contact with the 140 victims she interviewed and was unable to provide documentary evidence. In March 2011, Iman al-Obeidi said she was gang-raped before Libyan security services dragged her away.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the 2011 Libyan civil war before military intervention</span>

The Libyan Civil War began on 15 February 2011 as a chain of civil protests and later evolved into a widespread uprising against the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. On 25 February, most of eastern Libya was reported to be under the control of protesters and rebel forces. Gaddafi remained in control of the cities of Tripoli, Sirte and Sabha. By 15 March, however, Gaddafi's forces had retaken more than half a dozen lost cities. Except for most of Cyrenaica and a few Tripolitania cities the majority of cities had returned to Gaddafi government control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the Libyan civil war (2011)</span>

The timeline of the Libyan civil war begins on 15 February 2011 and ends on 20 October 2011. The conflict began with a series of peaceful protests, similar to others of the Arab Spring, later becoming a full-scale civil war between the forces loyal to Muammar Gaddafi's government and the anti-Gaddafi forces. The conflict can roughly be divided into two periods before and after external military intervention authorized by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973.

The Zliten uprising was a local uprising in the Libyan Civil War, started by rebel anti-Gaddafi forces against loyalist pro-Gaddafi forces in the city of Zliten. The city was of strategic importance due to its close proximity to the capital of Tripoli. After Zliten, only two cities – Khoms and Tajura – separated the rebel stronghold of Misrata from Tripoli.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the 2011 Libyan Civil War and military intervention (19 March – May)</span>

The Libyan Civil War began on 15 February 2011 as a civil protest and later evolved into a widespread uprising. However, by 19 March, Libyan forces under Colonel Muammar Gaddafi were on the brink of a decisive victory over rebels in Libya's east. That day, leading NATO members acted on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 which authorized member states "to take all necessary measures... to protect civilians and civilian populated areas under threat of attack in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, including Benghazi, while excluding an occupation force".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humanitarian situation during the Libyan civil war (2011)</span>

By the end of February 2011, medical supplies, fuel and food were dangerously low in Libya. On 25 February, the International Committee of the Red Cross launched an emergency appeal for US$6,400,000 to meet the emergency needs of people affected by the violent unrest in Libya. On 2 March, the ICRC's director general reminded everyone taking part in the violence that health workers must be allowed to do their jobs safely.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of the 2011 Libyan Civil War and military intervention (June – 15 August)</span>

The 2011 Libyan Civil War began on 17 February 2011 as a civil protest and later evolved into a widespread uprising. After a military intervention led by France, the United Kingdom, and the United States on 19 March turned the tide of the conflict at the Second Battle of Benghazi, anti-Gaddafi forces regrouped and established control over Misrata and most of the Nafusa Mountains in Tripolitania and much of the eastern region of Cyrenaica. In mid-May, they finally broke an extended siege of Misrata.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Killing of Muammar Gaddafi</span> 2011 killing in Sirte, Libya

The killing of Muammar Gaddafi took place on 20 October 2011 after the Battle of Sirte. Muammar Gaddafi, the deposed leader of Libya, was captured by NTC forces and executed shortly afterwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">War crimes in the Syrian civil war</span>

War crimes in the Syrian civil war have been numerous and serious. A United Nations report published in August 2014 stated that "the conduct of the warring parties in the Syrian Arab Republic has caused civilians immeasurable suffering". Another UN report released in 2015 stated that the war has been "characterized by a complete lack of adherence to the norms of international law" and that "civilians have borne the brunt of the suffering inflicted by the warring parties". Various countries have prosecuted several war criminals for a limited number of atrocities committed during the Syrian civil war.

During Muammar Gaddafi's rule over Libya, many crimes against humanity were committed by government forces against the Libyan population. Some of these include extrajudicial killings, public executions, and the torture of civilians. These violations are what caused the Libyan population to revolt against the regime.

References

  1. ↑ Shabi, Rachel (19 January 2012). "Nato accused of war crimes in Libya". The Independent . Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  2. 1 2 Simons, Marlise; MacFarquhar, Neil (4 May 2011). "Libyan Officials' Arrests Sought by Court in Hague". The New York Times .
  3. ↑ Video (1 July 2011). "Gaddafi's Son: Libya Like McDonald's for NATO – Fast War as Fast Food" (requires Adobe Flash; 0:12:48). RT (via YouTube). Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  4. ↑ "Libya: 10 Protesters apparently executed". Human Rights Watch. 18 August 2011.
  5. 1 2 Cockburn, Patrick (24 June 2011). "Amnesty Questions Claim That Gaddafi Ordered Rape as Weapon of War". The Independent . London. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  6. ↑ Amnesty International, The Battle for Libya: Killings, Disappearances and Torture, 13 September 2011, MDE 19/025/2011
  7. ↑ Smith, David (1 July 2011). "Gaddafi's son claims Nato wants deal with Libya". The Guardian . London. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  8. ↑ Sidner, Sara; Ahmed, Amir (23 May 2011). "Psychologist: Proof of hundreds of rape cases during Libya's war". CNN. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2019.
  9. ↑ Krause-Jackson, Flavia; Alexander, Caroline (6 July 2011). "Rape as Weapon of War Is UN Focus". Bloomberg .
  10. ↑ Bassiouni, M. Cherif. "Report of the International Commission of Inquiry To Investigate All Alleged Violations of International Human Rights Law in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya". United Nations Human Rights Council (via Google Docs). Retrieved 3 July 2011.
  11. 1 2 3 "Witness to War Crimes: Evidence from Misrata, Libya" (PDF). Retrieved 30 March 2021.
  12. ↑ "Government Using Landmines in Nafusa Mountains". Human Rights Watch. 21 June 2011.
  13. ↑ "Government Lays More Mines in Western Mountains". Human Rights Watch. 8 July 2011.
  14. ↑ "Libya: Government Attacks in Misrata Kill Civilians". Human Rights Watch. 10 April 2011.
  15. ↑ "Libya: Rocket Attacks on Western Mountain Towns". Human Rights Watch. 27 May 2011.
  16. ↑ "Libya: Indiscriminate Attacks Kill Civilians". Human Rights Watch. 17 April 2011.
  17. ↑ "Libya: Gaddafi Forces Occupy Hospital, Terrify Patients and Staff". Human Rights Watch. 29 June 2011.
  18. ↑ Stephen, Chris (18 June 2011). "Muammar Gaddafi war crimes files revealed". www.theguardian.com. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
  19. ↑ https://reliefweb.int/report/libya/witness-war-crimes-evidence-misrata-libya
  20. 1 2 3 Smith, Graeme (1 April 2011). "A Rebellion Divided: Spectre of Revenge Killings Hangs Over Eastern Libya". The Globe and Mail . Toronto. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
  21. ↑ Hauslohner, Abigail (23 February 2011). "Among Libya's Prisoners: Interviews with Mercenaries". Time . Archived from the original on 26 February 2011.
  22. ↑ "Libya: Opposition Forces Should Protect Civilians and Hospitals". Human Rights Watch.
  23. ↑ Sherlock, Ruth (2 October 2011). "Gaddafi loyalists stranded as battle for Sirte rages". The Daily Telegraph . London. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
  24. ↑ "UPDATE 2-Libya says NATO strike kills dozens of civilians". Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  25. ↑ "NATO: Libya airstrike killed troops, not civilians". USATODAY.COM. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  26. ↑ "WRAPUP 1-Tripoli says NATO strike kills dozens of civilians". Archived from the original on 26 September 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  27. ↑ The Christian Science Monitor (10 August 2011). "Turmoil in Benghazi, rebel advances in western Libya". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 6 March 2015.
  28. 1 2 Staff (2 March 2011). "HRW: No Mercenaries in Eastern Libya". Radio Netherlands Worldwide. Archived from the original on 6 August 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  29. ↑ Fahim, Kareem; Kirkpatrick, David D. (23 February 2011). "In Libya's Capital, Qaddafi Masses Forces". The New York Times .
  30. ↑ Namunane, Bernard (25 February 2011). "Kenya: 'Dogs of War' Fighting for Gaddafi". Daily Nation (via AllAfrica.com). Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  31. ↑ Staff (4 April 2011). "Chad Says Citizens Abused in Rebel-Held Libya". Reuters. Archived from the original on 4 April 2011. Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  32. ↑ Quist-Arcton, Ofeibea (25 February 2011). "In Libya, African Migrants Say They Face Hostility". NPR . Retrieved 11 August 2011.
  33. ↑ "BBC Radio 4". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.