Libyan authorities continue crackdown on civic freedoms

Libyan authorities continue their crackdown on civic freedoms with a series of strict, but broadly applying, laws that violate international law, according to Human Rights Watch on January 27th (HRW).

The watchdog has said that Libyan authorities are deliberately and systematically targeting nongovernmental organisations with the pretext of enforcing regulations.

They risk completely closing the space for free assembly and association in the country, leaving many activists to self-censor their work, move abroad, or work undercover.

The authorities vying for control in both the east and west of Libya are cracking down on civic freedoms in multiple ways: onerous administrative and bureaucratic requirements, and the threat of unaccountable militias and abusive internal security apparatus.

Regarding the administrative requirements, HRW has said that Libyan authorities, “particularly in the west, have imposed overbroad and often unworkable conditions and requirements…. There are burdensome approval requirements on activities as simple as holding seminars and workshops, while onerous financial reporting requirements are often impossible for small organisations to meet.”

With such high barriers to entering the civic space, the Libyan authorities are strangling the freedom of expression, assembly, and association, which are all recognized as fundamental human rights under international human rights law.

Libya has multiple ratified international laws and domestic laws protecting the rights of civic society, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which protects the rights to assembly and association as well as the 2011 Libyan Constituent Covenant guaranteeing freedom of association, speech and assembly.

However, many governmental branches, including legislators, still use many of the oppressive Gaddafi-era laws to quell civic organization.

Regarding the second method, Libyan authorities are also relying on the threat of retaliation to crush civil society.

Libya’s Penal Code levies severe punishments, including the death penalty “for establishing “unlawful” associations,” with many of those interviewed by HRW describing being tortured in detention.

With one interviewee stating, “freedom of speech has become non-existent”, the future of civil society in Libya appears weak with many activists moving to neighboring countries, self-censoring or completely ending their work.

HRW has urged both administrations in Libya to adopt a civil society law in line with international law but with minimal international pressure, it seems unlikely that the crackdown will cease in the near future.

Human Rights Watch.