Archiving human rights in Libya: One year of SHIRA

Archiving human rights in Libya: One year of SHIRA

Lawyers for Justice in Libya (LFJL) has published its first monitoring report and interactive map one year after launching its Human Rights Archive project (the Archive Project). The report provides an overview of human rights violations documented in the Archive which date from February 2011 to October 2017 and span the coast from Ras Jdir to Derna. The full report can be accessed here and the interactive map is available below.

The archive has received almost 100 case submissions which cover a broad range of human rights violations. The most frequent types of violation included violations of the right to life, right to freedom of assembly, right to freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, right to freedom from arbitrary arrest or detention and right to freedom of expression.

LFJL created the Archive Project to prevent evidence of human rights violations becoming lost, stolen or damaged as a result of the continuing instability in Libya. In collaboration with the Network for Monitoring and Archiving for Justice (SHIRA), LFJL created a centralised platform where organisations can share information on human rights violations securely.

Given the success of the Archive Project, LFJL Director Elham Saudi stated, “Greater collaboration between civil society, both Libyan and international, is needed to understand fully the scale of the violations which have taken, and continue to take, place in Libya. Gathering this information ensures that it is protected and accessible by future accountability mechanisms in Libya.” Saudi added, “There needs to be a concerted effort by the Libyan state to implement and strengthen existing laws to support accountability for human rights violations and bolster the rule of law.” LFJL calls on the Libyan State to reignite a fair and inclusive transitional justice process in Libya.