| Libya_2015.09.25_HRC30_Statement_UPR_English 1 page / 752 KB |

HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
30th session - September 25, 2015
Item 6: UPR Outcomes: Libya
Oral statement delivered by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS).
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Mr. President,
OMCT, FIDH and CIHRS welcome the report of the working group on the UPR on Libya.
In a recent report, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders has documented and denounced that human rights defenders have become prime targets for many armed groups involved in the ongoing civil war in Libya. Violence, harassment and intimidation are daily occurrences for these defenders, in a climate of impunity resulting from the breakdown of the State. In this context, the respect of human rights defenders as vital, non-partisan voices should be a baseline consensus for any successful agreement between parties to the conflict
However, in the current Libyan context, it is essential to go beyond their needs for protection and to reclaim the essential role human rights defender should play in the conflict-settlement and peace building process so that a State respectful of basic human rights can be established. Defenders are the keystones in the construction of a State that protects and empowers the people. The situation they face is unbearable and puts at risk the entire process of building a sustainable democracy in Libya. Therefore, we call on the Libyan state to promote the participation of human rights defenders in the implementation of the Political agreement recently concluded.
We therefore welcome the seven recommendations made to Libya focusing on the need for protection of human rights defenders and on the need for measures to foster accountability for the perpetrators of assassinations, attacks, intimidation and harassment against human rights defenders and call on the Libyan authorities to implement these at the shortest delay.
Finally, member states of the Human Rights Council and OHCHR should take leadership in examining the humanitarian situation of several Libyan human rights defenders living in the diaspora for fear of reprisal; including looking at the possibility of supporting and facilitating the granting, at the earliest opportunity, of refugee status to Libyan human rights defenders who apply for it.
We thank you Mr. President.
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