By Sami Zaptia.
London, 20 August 2019:
The Tripoli Ministry of Health aligned to the Faiez Serraj-led Presidency Council and Government of National Accord condemned what it called the “heinous practices of killing prisoners after torturing them and abusing their bodies in ways that violate all local and international laws and customs”.
The condemnation came on the back of a an exchange of dead prisoners last Wednesday organized by the Tarhuna-based and Tripoli-based offices of the Libyan Red Crescent. Twelve corpses were handed over to the Tripoli side.
The Tarhuna-based Kani militia – formerly the 7th Infantry Brigade -aligned with the Khalifa Hafter-led Libyan National Army (LNA), is accused of carrying out the torture and murder acts.
The Ministry of Health said it had found evidence of torture and abuse on the corpses that had not been kept in a morgue, which led to the dissolution of the corpses. It said that the corpses were identified as being civilians and military personnel.
The Ministry said it considered such horrific violations, which do not respect humanity and attest to the sanctity of a Muslim, as terrorist acts that conflict with Islam and do not reflect the morals and customs of the Libyan Muslim people.
The Ministry of Health also called on its internationally recognized government, the UN Security Council, UNSMIL and the International Criminal Court to work to bring the perpetrators of these acts to justice in order to receive their just punishment.
