The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has voiced alarm over footage circulating on social media allegedly showing “brutal torture and ill-treatment” of detainees at the Gernada detention facility in eastern Libya.
While Reuters could not independently verify the video’s date or location, architectural elements seen in the footage, such as tile patterns, wall paint, and cell bars, appeared consistent with previous imagery of the prison.
UNSMIL condemned the reported acts, emphasizing they constitute serious violations of international human rights law. The mission noted the footage aligns with previously documented patterns of human rights abuses in Libyan detention centers.
The UN has called for an immediate investigation and stated it is coordinating with the Libyan National Army’s General Command for unrestricted access to the Gernada facility and other detention centers under their control for human rights monitoring.
Libyan authorities have yet to respond to the footage or the UN’s statements. Libya has faced ongoing instability and lawlessness since the fall of Muammar Qaddafi’s regime in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011.
Source: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2586474/middle-east