The UN human rights office on Wednesday raised alarm over “gross human rights violations” in Libya after the discovery of dozens of bodies, some of them charred, that were buried and others left in hospital morgues in an area of Tripoli controlled by an armed militia.
Volker Turk, the UN's high commissioner for human rights, said in a statement that he was “shocked” by the discoveries at detention facilities run by the Stabilisation Support Authority (SSA), one of the western city's most powerful militant groups, whose commander, Abdel Ghani Al Kikli, died in clashes with rival militias in May.
He said the discoveries confirm the long-standing findings by the UN Support Mission in Libya (Unsmil) and the former Independent Fact-Finding Mission, as well as various witness accounts regarding the existence of such sites and the extent of abuses committed, including torture and forced disappearances.
The SSA has been accused of committing atrocities and crimes against humanity during the country’s long-running conflict. “Our worst-held fears are being confirmed: dozens of bodies have been discovered at these sites, along with the discovery of suspected instruments of torture and abuse, and potential evidence of extrajudicial killings,” Mr Turk said.
His office said it had received information about the excavation of 10 burnt bodies at the SSA headquarters in Tripoli’s Abu Salim district, as well as 67 more bodies found in refrigerators at two local hospitals. Mr Turk also said a burial site was discovered at the SSA-run Tripoli Zoo. The identities of the deceased remain unclear, he added.
Mr Turk called on Libyan authorities to grant the UN access to the sites as part of its mandate to document human rights abuses and urged them to seal the area to preserve the evidence. He also noted continuing efforts to uphold the truce, facilitated by Unsmil, and reminded all parties of their obligations to respect international human rights and humanitarian law.
Libya has been plagued by factional violence since the 2011 Nato-backed uprising against Muammar Qaddafi, with armed groups vying for power and control over territory.
“I call on all responsible political and security actors in the country to use their leadership and authority to protect and fulfil the human rights of all Libyans,” said Mr Turk. “I further urge these actors and those with influence over them to redouble their efforts to end the recurring cycle of transitional arrangements and establish a full and inclusive democracy.”
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
Company profile
Date started: Founded in May 2017 and operational since April 2018
Founders: co-founder and chief executive, Doaa Aref; Dr Rasha Rady, co-founder and chief operating officer.
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: Health-tech
Size: 22 employees
Funding: Seed funding
Investors: Flat6labs, 500 Falcons, three angel investors
Rock in a Hard Place: Music and Mayhem in the Middle East
Orlando Crowcroft
Zed Books
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Started: May 2018
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Size: 23 employees
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
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Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Tips for used car buyers
- Choose cars with GCC specifications
- Get a service history for cars less than five years old
- Don’t go cheap on the inspection
- Check for oil leaks
- Do a Google search on the standard problems for your car model
- Do your due diligence. Get a transfer of ownership done at an official RTA centre
- Check the vehicle’s condition. You don’t want to buy a car that’s a good deal but ends up costing you Dh10,000 in repairs every month
- Validate warranty and service contracts with the relevant agency and and make sure they are valid when ownership is transferred
- If you are planning to sell the car soon, buy one with a good resale value. The two most popular cars in the UAE are black or white in colour and other colours are harder to sell
Tarek Kabrit, chief executive of Seez, and Imad Hammad, chief executive and co-founder of CarSwitch.com
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
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Engine: 4.4-litre V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 523hp
Torque: 750Nm
Price: Dh469,000
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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EPL's youngest
- Ethan Nwaneri (Arsenal)
15 years, 181 days old
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15 years, 235 days old
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15 years, 271 days old
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16 years, 30 days old
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Low turnout
Two months before the first round on April 10, the appetite of voters for the election is low.
Mathieu Gallard, account manager with Ipsos, which conducted the most recent poll, said current forecasts suggested only two-thirds were "very likely" to vote in the first round, compared with a 78 per cent turnout in the 2017 presidential elections.
"It depends on how interesting the campaign is on their main concerns," he told The National. "Just now, it's hard to say who, between Macron and the candidates of the right, would be most affected by a low turnout."
