Amnesty International decries crackdown on political dissidents in Libya

Amnesty International on Tuesday accused Libya’s eastern-based Internal Security Agency (ISA) of cracking down on dissent and enabling human rights abuses since the 2011 fall of Moammar al-Gaddafi.

The rights group said that since January 2024, ISA agents have unlawfully arrested numerous individuals, including elderly citizens, often holding them for months without contact with family or legal representation.

Two suspicious deaths in ISA custody were reported, with no independent investigations conducted, Amnesty said in its release.

Amnesty’s Libya researcher highlighted a culture of impunity allowing armed groups to violate detainees’ rights without consequences.

The organization has called on the Libyan Government of National Unity and the Libyan National Army to release those arbitrarily detained and to investigate ISA members involved in human rights violations.