UN expresses concern over Libya ‘arbitrary’ arrests

TRIPOLI: The United Nations Support Mission in Libya expressed concern over what it said were arbitrary arrests, including of lawyers and members of the judiciary, calling for their immediate release.

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“UNSMIL is alarmed by the wave of arbitrary arrest and detentions across Libya by law enforcement and security actors,” it said in a statement late Saturday.

“These actors are using their powers of arrest and detention to target individuals for their alleged political affiliations, to silence perceived dissent and to undermine judicial independence.”

UNSMIL also expressed concern about the use of filmed confessions, “where individuals are detained and coerced into ‘confessing’ to alleged crimes with videos published online.”

It said the practice was used to “intimidate and humiliate” the individuals, and must be deemed inadmissible.