As has been widely reported, since February 15 the government of Libya has been violently repressing peaceful protests with estimates as high as 400 people dead. On February 21, the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Movement African network, the African Democracy Forum (ADF), issued separate statements calling on the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights to refer the serious human rights violations that are being perpetrated by the Libyan authorities and officers under their control to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the Peace and Security Council of the African Union. In addition, FIDH calls on the African Commission to adopt an urgent resolution condemning the human rights violations in Libya and to adopt a resolution supporting countries in democratic transition.

 

Today, CIVICUS also issued a statement condemning the escalation of mass killings of protestors in Libya and calling on the UN Security Council to invoke the principle of the “Responsibility to Protect” to address the threat posed to international peace and security. The “Responsibility to Protect” doctrine is an international commitment made at the conclusion of the 2005 World Summit on Human Rights, at which member countries agreed that when a state fails to protect its population from crimes against humanity, the international community must make efforts through the UN Security Council to protect the people adversely affected. In its “Defending Civil Society” report, the World Movement articulates six principles that govern and protect Civil Society from repressive intrusions on the part of governments. The sixth principle states that “The State has a duty to promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the obligation to protect the rights of civil society.”

 

 

 

To read the FIDH statement, go to: www.fidh.org/Massacres-in-Libya-The-African-Commission-on

 

To read the ADF statement, go to: http://africandemocracyforum.org/attachments/-01_ADF%20Statement%20on%20Libya%20protests.pdf

 

To read the CIVICUS statement, go to: https://app.e2ma.net/app/view:CampaignPublic/id:1408216.6970324285/rid:f513f185326b7ed8b86432763a80f600