MOSCOW, October 30 (RIA Novosti) — Amnesty International has denounced the human right abuses and war crimes on civilians perpetrated by lawless militias and armed groups in western Libya, a statement published on the organization's website Thursday said.
"In today's Libya the rule of the gun has taken hold. Armed groups and militias are running amok, launching indiscriminate attacks in civilian areas and committing widespread abuses, including war crimes, with complete impunity," Amnesty International Deputy Director for the Middle East and North Africa Programme Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui said in the statement.
The watchdog reports that members of the Libya Dawn coalition (made up of groups from Misrata, Tripoli and other towns in western Libya) and the Zintan-Warshafana coalition (including groups from Zintan and the Warshafana area) are behind the crimes in western Libya.
According to the organization, the groups abducted large numbers of civilians in Tripoli, Zawiya, Warshafana as well as towns in the Nafusa Mountains and held them hostage for up to two months on account of their ethnic origin or political beliefs. The militias even went door to door seizing people from their homes, Amnesty International noted.
The organization called upon the militias and armed groups to free the abductees immediately and without conditions as well as expel from their ranks those involved in the crimes.
"Leaders of militias and armed groups in Libya have a duty to put an end to violations of international humanitarian law and to make clear to their subordinates that such crimes will not be tolerated. A failure to do so could result in prosecution of commanders by the International Criminal Court," the statement urged.
Libya is facing a wave of violence since the 2011 overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. The country has seen fierce clashes between numerous militias, armed with weapons seized from government ammunition depots.
