Footage reveals human rights abuses in Libyan prison
New images have surfaced of brutal torture in the Libyan prison of Garnada, in the latest human rights abuses by eastern Libya authorities under strongman Khalifa Haftar.
According to Nova News on January 13th,the leaked videos document inmates being violently beaten with sticks, whips and bare hands by men in military uniforms.
In one such video, a man only in his underwear is whipped in a corridor while another man in his 60s is struck with a stick repeatedly, causing him to fall to the ground.
Another video shows a crowd of inmates inside the prison cells, with their hands clasped above their heads. Two guards threaten them with further torture.
According to Human Rights Watch, inmates are subjected to various different torture methods, including beatings, electric shocks, and the deprivation of sleep, food, and water.
Garnada prison is a maximum-security facility in Libya that has been operated since 2015 by the special forces of General Khalifa Haftar. It is infamous for the systematic abuse inflicted on prisoners.
The prison houses several hundred inmates, many of whom are suspected of being radical Islamist fighters and have spent years awaiting trial.
Amnesty International has stated that dozens of people, including women and older men, have been arbitrarily arrested since early 2024, many times without a warrant.
These inmates have no access to family members or lawyers, often meaning they disappear for months before their families are notified.
Amnesty has documented two deaths in custody this year under suspicious circumstances, with charges never filed and investigations prevented.
The World Health Organization has also expressed concern for the situation, drawing attention to increases in flooding of sewer system of Garnada prison between 2018 and 2022.
They argue this suggests a growth in the prison population.
These signs suggesting facilities cannot cope, coupled with testimonies, reinforce fears of an expansion of prisoner numbers, despite no room for the extra inmates.
Nova News Agency
