The human rights organization Amnesty International is advocating for the overturning of the convictions of 11 christians, in Libya.
In a statement, the entity said that the sentences handed down to 10 Libyans and one Pakistani man, “were grossly unfair” and “marred by egregious violations of due process and international human rights standards”
The 11 believers were charged with “insulting religious sanctities and rituals using the internet,” “calling for the establishment of a banned group,”, “insulting Islam” and “promoting the change of the fundamental principles of the constitution,” and sentenced to three to 15 years in prison.
Between March and August 2023, Internal Security Agency (ISA) members conducted the arrests of the believers on the grounds that they belonged to a group belonging to Christians.
Amnesty stated in a press release that for the duration of the trials which started in September 2024, judges never examined witnesses or evidence against the defendants. In addition, the members of ISA, whose investigations were the only basis for the criminal investigations into the believers, were never questioned.
Amnesty also stated, “the hearings were limited to judges confirming the presence of the defendants and their lawyers requesting their release pending trial. However, the judges consistently ordered the continued detention of the defendants, without providing any justification, and adjourned the hearings.”
An Amnesty investigation also discovered that the Christians tortured, and faced arbitrary detention for days. In addition, they endured questioning in the absence of their lawyers, were compelled to give forced confessions and were denied access to their families, and loved ones.
Amnesty stated that between the sixth and thirteenth of April 2023, the ISA published on its official YouTube channel, videos showing seven of the detainees, confessing to ‘converting to and promoting Christianity inside the country,’ The organization added that the ISA published the videos around one to seven days after detainees were questioned by prosecutors.
Amnesty International is therefore calling on the public prosecutor to immediately review all cases of people arrested and detained for alleged criminal prosecutions based only on ISA investigations. In addition, they are also calling for the immediate overturning of the convictions and sentences handed down to the believers who it said were convicted solely for exercising their right to freedom of thought.
“He must open prompt, thorough, independent, impartial, transparent, and effective investigations into the allegations of human rights violations, including torture, enforced disappearance, and arbitrary detention against all suspected ISA members,” the human right lobby group said.
Amnesty International is a global movement of more than 10 million people, and has the main aim of advocating for the adherence of human rights globally.
