Rights groups urge inquiry into abuse against journalists in Libya
Numerous Libyan and British human rights groups have demanded an independent investigation into abuses against journalists in Libya, according to Libya Review on November 8th.
The organisations have called for the immediate release of all media professionals from custody who were detained for their reporting or political views. They also demand that those curtailing press freedoms are held accountable and brought to justice.
A joint statement entitled “Libya: Impunity for crimes against journalists must end” was signed by the following organisations: Article 19, Aswat Network, Lawyers for Justice in Libya, The Libyan Centre for Press Freedom, The Libyan Organisation for Independent Media, and Rabssa Media and Culture group.
They highlighted that journalists in Libya have “faced arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, physical assaults, and threats” which have occurred within a nationwide environment of “deep political divisions” and fragmented state institutions.
It is this disunity, the groups argue, that has facilitated a “pervasive culture of impunity” that jeopardises independent media, the safety of journalists, and the people of Libya’s right to information.
The numbers outlined in the statement illustrate the stark repression that journalists face in a seemingly endless political landscape of periodic upheavals and shifting loyalties.
It revealed that between 2005 and 2025, over 40 journalists and bloggers were killed in Libya, with several more being abducted and tortured by perpetrators who faced zero legal consequences for doing so. Between 2014 and 2024, more than 488 violations against journalists – most of which were violent in nature – were documented by the Libyan Centre for Freedom of Press.
The statement denounced the ongoing enforcement of highly restrictive legislation from the Muammar Gaddafi era, such as “The Publications Law” which stipulates that media outlets must gain prior authorisation from the Department of Publications before initiating operations. Failure to do so “imposes prison sentences of no less than six months.”
Such regulation unilaterally strips away media independence and grants the state near-total command over the media’s reporting. Such political interference greatly inhibits the Libyan population’s ability to hold their state institutions to account – a right of incredible importance within a nation struggling to push through an unstable transition to democracy.
The 2025 World Press Freedom Index, published by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), ranked Libya 137th out of 180 countries, labelling the North African nation a “true information black hole.” RSF stated that the remaining reporters who chose not to flee the country tend to secure their safety by operating under the protection of militant groups.
The index explains that journalists are forced to conform to the political preferences of the media outlet they work under, “leading to chronic disinformation.” Moreover, journalists who operate in eastern Libya are coercively prohibited from criticising the Libyan National Army under the authority of Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar.
Libya Review, Article19.org, Maghrebi.org, Libyan Centre for Freedom of Press, Reporters Without Borders
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