Press release : Libya – Twenty one human rights organizations and 57 Libyan public figures call on the authorities to lift the arbitrary restrictions imposed by the Civil Society Commission on civil associations

Members of the House of Representatives, the Constituent Assembly for the Drafting of the Constitution, the Forum for Political Dialogue, the State Council, former ministers, academics, writers, media professionals, lawyers, human rights defenders, and activists join Libyan human rights organizations in calling on the authorities to lift the arbitrary restrictions imposed by the Civil Society Commission on civil associations

April 19, 2022

Press release

Twenty one human rights organizations and 57 Libyan public figures issued a joint statement today to condemn the arbitrary measures recently announced by the Civil Society Commission in Tripoli, and to demand the lifting of arbitrary restrictions on freedom of civil organizations and associations. The signatories to the statement also called on the Libyan House of Representatives to quickly pass the draft law that was referred to it by human rights organizations and Libyan public figures in October 2021. The joint statement was issued today in a context in which Libya is witnessing an escalation of the repressive campaign against civil society organizations and human rights defenders, Including arbitrary detention, defamation and incitement through the media and social media communication sites, in addition to the authorities imposing arbitrary restrictions, through the Civil Society Commission (Tripoli), on the work and activities of organizations, in violation of the Libyan Constitutional Declaration and international standards for freedom of civil work and civil associations’ activities.

The statement bears the signature of human rights organizations, in addition to dozens of Libyan public figures from various backgrounds and experiences.  This confirms that the issue of freedom of civil work and establishing full functioning civil associations is one of the important issues that are among the priorities of the Libyan people, and that it is inevitable to respect the desire and aspirations of the Libyans to build a state of rule of law and respect for human rights and democratic values. It is worth mentioning in this context that the statement bears the signatures of members of the House of Representatives, the Constituent Assembly of the Constitution, the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum, the State Council, former ministers, academics, writers, media professionals, lawyers, human rights activists, and civil society activists. The full text of the statement and list of signatures can be found here.

Libyan organizations and personalities call on the government to guarantee constitutional rights to freedom of organizing associations and fulfil international obligations & calls on the legislator to expedite the issuance of the Associations Law submitted by human rights organizations