By Libya Herald staff.
Tripoli, 7 August 2014:
Lawyers for Justice in Libya (LFJL) has called on members of the House of Representatives . . .[restrict]to take urgent action against the “ongoing human rights and humanitarian atrocities occurring in Libya”.
In an open letter released today, the LFJL outlined Libya’s current challenges: clashes between rival militias that have caused civilian deaths and injuries; damage to infrastructure, preventing whole communities from accessing water, electricity, fuel and healthcare; targeted attacks and assassinations against civil society members, lawyers and journalists and the quasi-legal detention of thousands of individuals, many of whom are tortured, with little chance of receiving a fair trial or due process.
The current circumstances in Libya may inhibit the effectiveness of state action, the letter said, but this does not justify inaction by the House of Representatives.
In fact, the LFJL warned, failure to act may result in legal proceedings being brought against the Libyan state, both domestically and internationally. Therefore new parliament needed to enshrine international law in Libyan legislation and make certain that it was enforced.
Therefore, the LFJL has specifically urged on the House of Representatives the ensure that all those accused of human rights violations are brought to trial and that legislation, explicitly criminalising such behaviour is put in place.
LFJL also contended that no members of the current militias should be assimilated into government forces if they were suspected of human rights violations. The organisation also warned that militias which are being paid from government funds should account for the sums that they receive.
Looking to the way in which it believed the members of the House of Representatives should conduct themselves, LFJL said that they must adhere strictly to their prescribed term of office. Any attempt to extend the life of the House beyond this should require a nationwide referendum.
There was also a call for the new parliament to respect the separation of state powers and support the existence of both the executive and the judiciary. The new parliamentarians were also urged to engage directly with those who had elected them. [/restrict]
