By Libya Herald reporter.
Tunis, 22 April 2015:
Libya’s Justice Minister, Mabruk Grera, said that he was unable to give an exact number . . .[restrict]of prisoners charged with terrorism offences, but that many of those held were foreign nationals from Yemen, Sudan, Egypt and Tunisia.
Grera said he was only speaking about those prisoners held by the legitimate and internationally recognized government based in the eastern city of Al-Beida.
The Justice Minister added that his Ministry has successfully, starting with nothing, set up a base and seven departments in 6 months and is operating fully despite all its archives and documentation being left behind in Tripoli and despite the difficult circumstances it found itself in.
Minister Grera reviewed the great amount of work done by his department in the repair, upgrade and maintenance of over 22 locations in different towns and cities under the control of the legitimate Al-Beida based government
These included judicial sites and prisons in the east and in the south, new prisons, a prison for women, guest houses for travelling members of judiciary, fridges for morgues, a prison bakery, a training centre, a prisoners’ workshop, revenue-earning investment projects for a prison and prison cameras.
Contracts for purchases included contracts for vehicles, armored vehicles, fire engines, ambulances, side arms and uniforms.
He also highlighted the contract to purchase two DNA identifying machines for the first time in Libya, one for Benghazi and one for Tripoli, adding that in Africa only Egypt and Tunisia possess these.
Equally, highlighting his legitimate government’s accountability and transparency, he pointed out that his government had opened up a prison for a recent media visit.
He also revealed that his Ministry has contracted to purchase special vehicles for transporting prisoners that comply with human rights standards, as well as rubber weapons for use internally in prisons.
Finally, a number of prisons had to be upgraded in order to bring them up to international standards that comply with human rights.
Grera was speaking during a wide-ranging press conference held by the government on in Beida on Monday. [/restrict]
