View source for Human rights in Libya

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Politics of Libya}}

'''Human rights in Libya''' is the record of [[human rights]] upheld and violated in various stages of [[Libya]]'s history. The [[Kingdom of Libya]], from 1951 to 1969, was heavily influenced by the British and Y.R.K companies.  Under the King, Libya had [[Constitution of Libya (1951)|a constitution]]. The kingdom, however, was marked by a [[Feudalism|feudal]] regime. Due to the previous colonial regime, [[Libya]] had a low [[literacy]] rate of 10%, a low [[life expectancy]] of 57 years, with many people living in [[Shanty town|shanties]] and [[tent]]s.<ref name="dailynews"/> Illiteracy and [[homelessness]] were chronic problems during this era, when iron shacks dotted many urban centres in the country.<ref name="bbc_libya">{{cite news |last=Hussein |first=Mohamed |date=21 February 2011 |title=Libya crisis: what role do tribal loyalties play? |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/world-middle-east-12528996 |access-date=31 October 2011 |agency=[[BBC News]]}}</ref>

From 1969 to 2011, the [[history of Libya]] was marked by the [[Libyan Arab Jamahiriya]] (where ''jamahiriya'' means "state of the masses"), a  "[[direct democracy]]" political system established by [[Muammar Gaddafi]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Robbins|first=James|title=Eyewitness: Dialogue in the desert|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/6425873.stm|access-date=22 October 2011|date=7 March 2007|work=BBC News}}</ref> who nominally stepped down from power in 1977, but remained an unofficial "Brother Leader" until 2011. The country's literacy rate rose to 90%, and [[welfare spending|welfare]] systems were introduced that allowed access to free [[education]] and [[Health in Libya|free healthcare]]. In 2008, the [[General People's Congress (Libya)|General People's Congress]] had declared the Great Green Charter of Human Rights of the Jamahiriyan Era.<ref>[http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/pdfid/3dda540f4.pdf The Great Green Charter of Human Rights of the Jamahiriyan Era] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529133134/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/pdfid/3dda540f4.pdf |date=29 May 2016 }}</ref> The [[Great Manmade River]] was also built to allow free access to fresh water across large parts of the country.<ref name="dailynews">{{cite web|last=Azad|first=Sher|title=Gaddafi and the media|url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/10/22/fea02.asp|work=Daily News|access-date=22 October 2011|date=22 October 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111025194842/http://www.dailynews.lk/2011/10/22/fea02.asp|archive-date=25 October 2011}}</ref> As a result, Libya's [[Human Development Index]] in 2010 was the highest in [[Africa]] and greater than that of [[Saudi Arabia]].<ref name="dailynews"/>

Throughout Gaddafi's rule, international non-governmental organizations routinely characterized Libya's human rights situation as poor, citing systematic abuses such as political repression, restrictions on political freedoms and civil liberties, and arbitrary imprisonment; the American government funded [[Freedom House]]'s annual [[Freedom in the World]] report, consistently giving it a ranking of "Not Free" and gave Libya their lowest possible rating of "7" in their evaluations of civil liberties and political freedoms from 1989 to 2010. Gaddafi also publicly bragged about sending hit squads to assassinate exiled dissidents, and Libyan state media openly announced bounties on the heads of political opponents. Civilians were routinely executed publicly by hanging for simply speaking out against the regime.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Althaibani |first=Raja |date=2011-08-31 |title=Execution Footage Found in Libya Offers Glimpse of Gaddafi's Abuses; Could Be Used for Justice |url=https://blog.witness.org/2011/08/execution-footage-found-in-libya-offers-glimpse-of-gaddafis-abuses-could-be-used-for-justice/ |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=WITNESS Blog |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Woodward |first=Bob |date=22 April 1984 |title=Hangings in Tripoli Focus Attention on Libyan Dissent |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1984/04/23/hangings-in-tripoli-focus-attention-on-libyan-dissent/9c2481e3-1b2d-4b74-8d69-4304afe24ed1/ |website=WashingtonPost}}</ref> From 1977 to 1984, an annual festival created by Gaddafi would publicly hang civilians every year on April 7th.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Libya: One Year Later {{!}} Opinion {{!}} The Harvard Crimson |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/11/15/gaddafi-trial-libya/ |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=www.thecrimson.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=UNHCR Web Archive |url=https://webarchive.archive.unhcr.org/20230529164411/https://www.refworld.org/docid/3f7d4dc238.html |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=webarchive.archive.unhcr.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Libya: April Victims of Gaddafi Madness |url=https://sijill.tripod.com/victims/ |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=sijill.tripod.com}}</ref>

The Gaddafi regime was also accused of the 1996 [[Abu Salim prison|Abu Salim prison massacre]]. In 2010, [[Amnesty International]] published a critical report on Libya, raising concerns about cases of enforced disappearances and other human rights violations that remained unresolved, and that Internal Security Agency members implicated in those violations continued to operate with impunity.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/libya/report-2010|title=Libya - Amnesty International Report 2010|quote=Hundreds of cases of enforced disappearance and other serious human rights violations committed in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s remained unresolved, and the Internal Security Agency (ISA), implicated in those violations, continued to operate with impunity.}}</ref> In January 2011, the [[United Nations Human Rights Council]] published a report analysing the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya's [[human rights]] record with input from member nations, most of which (including many European and most Asian, African and South American nations) generally praised the country's progressive efforts in human rights, though some (particularly Australia, France, Israel, Switzerland, and the United States) raised concerns about human rights abuses concerning cases of disappearance and [[torture]], and restrictions on free press and free association; Libya agreed to investigate cases involving disappearance and torture, and to repeal any laws criminalizing political expression or restricting a free independent press, and affirmed that it had an independent judiciary.<ref name="ohchr" />

==Libya under Gaddafi==
{{Further|Human rights violations during the Gaddafi regime|History of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi}}

===Revolutionary Committees===
In the early 1970s, Gaddafi created the [[General People's Committee|Revolutionary Committees]] as conduits for raising political consciousness, with the aim of [[Direct democracy|direct]] [[Participatory democracy|political participation]] by all Libyans. In 1979, however, some of these committees had eventually evolved into self-appointed, sometimes zealous, enforcers of revolutionary orthodoxy.<ref name="ham_40_1">{{cite book|last=Ham|first=Anthony|title=Libya|year=2007|publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]|location=Footscray, Victoria|isbn=978-1-74059-493-6|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781740594936|url-access=registration|edition=2nd|pages=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781740594936/page/40 40]–1}}</ref> During the early 1980s, these committees had considerable power and became a growing source of tension within the Jamahiriya,<ref name="vandewalle_124"/> to the extent that Gaddafi sometimes criticized their effectiveness and excessive repression,<ref name="ham_40_1"/><ref name="vandewalle_124"/> until the power of the Revolutionary Committees was eventually restricted in the late 1980s.<ref name="vandewalle_124"/>

The Revolutionary Committees had been resembling similar systems in [[Totalitarianism|totalitarian]] countries; reportedly, 10 to 20 percent of Libyans worked in surveillance for these committees, with surveillance taking place in government, in factories, and in the education sector.<ref name="Mohamed Eljhami"/> They also posted bounties for the killing of Libyan critics charged with treason abroad.<ref name="Mohamed Eljhami" /><ref name="autogenerated758">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4CfBKvsiWeQC|title=The Middle East and North Africa 2003|publisher=Routledge|year=2002|isbn=978-1857431322|edition=49th|series=The Europa Regional Surveys of the World|pages=758}}</ref> Opposition activists were occasionally executed publicly and the executions were rebroadcast on [[public television]] channels.<ref name="Mohamed Eljhami">{{cite journal|author=Eljahmi|first=Mohamed|date=Winter 2006|title=Libya and the U.S.: Qadhafi Unrepentant|url=http://www.meforum.org/878/libya-and-the-us-qadhafi-unrepentant|url-status=live|journal=[[Middle East Quarterly]]|volume=XIII|issue=1|pages=11–20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180318231858/https://www.meforum.org/878/libya-and-the-us-qadhafi-unrepentant|archive-date=18 March 2018}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/qaddafiterrorism00davi|title=Qaddafi, Terrorism, and the Origins of the U.S. Attack on Libya|author=Davis|first=Brian Lee|publisher=Praeger|year=1990|isbn=978-0275933029}}</ref>

In 1988, Gaddafi criticized the excessive measures taken by the Revolutionary Councils, stating that "they deviated, harmed, tortured" and that "the true revolutionary does not practise repression."<ref name="ham_libya">{{cite book|last=Ham|first=Anthony|title=Libya|year=2007|publisher=[[Lonely Planet]]|location=Footscray, Victoria|isbn=978-1-74059-493-6|url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781740594936|url-access=registration|edition=2nd|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781740594936/page/41 41]}}</ref> That same year, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya issued the ''Great Green Document on Human Rights'', in which Article 5 established laws that allowed greater [[freedom of expression]]. Article 8 of The Code on the Promotion of 
Freedom stated that "each citizen has the right to express his opinions and ideas openly in [[General People's Congress (Libya)|People’s Congresses]] and in all [[mass media]]."<ref name="ohchr">{{cite web|title=Report of the Working Group on the Universal Periodic Review: Libyan Arab Jamahiriya|url=http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/16session/A-HRC-16-15.pdf|work=[[Universal Periodic Review]]|publisher=[[United Nations Human Rights Council]], [[United Nations General Assembly]]|access-date=26 October 2011|date=4 January 2011}}</ref> A number of restrictions were also placed on the power of the Revolutionary Committees, leading to a resurgence in the Libyan state's popularity by the early 1990s.<ref name="vandewalle_124">{{cite book | last=Vandewalle | first=Dirk J. | title=A history of modern Libya | location=Cambridge| publisher=Cambridge University Press | year=2006 | isbn=0-521-85048-7  | url=https://archive.org/details/historyofmodernl0000vand | url-access=registration | access-date=26 August 2011 | page=[https://archive.org/details/historyofmodernl0000vand/page/124 124]}}</ref> In 2004, however, Libya posted a $1&nbsp;million bounty for journalist Ashur Shamis, under the allegation that he was linked to [[Al-Qaeda]] and terror suspect [[Abu Qatada al-Filistini|Abu Qatada]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/mar/28/politics.libya|title=Gadaffi still hunts 'stray dogs' in UK|last=Bright|first=Martin|date=28 March 2004|work=[[The Observer]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190504164534/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/mar/28/politics.libya|archive-date=4 May 2019|url-status=live|location=UK}}</ref>

===Foreign languages and migrant workers===
Until 1998, foreign languages were not part of the school curriculum. One protester in 2011 described the situation as: "None of us can speak [[English language|English]] or [[French language|French]]. He kept us ignorant and blindfolded".<ref>{{Cite news|title=A New Flag Flies in the East |url=https://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/2011/02/libya_fragments  |date=24 February 2011| newspaper=[[The Economist]]|access-date=10 October 2013}}</ref> The [[United States Department of State|US State Department]] claimed that ethnic, [[Islamic fundamentalism|Islamic fundamentalist]] and tribal minorities suffer discrimination, and that the state continues to restrict the [[labour rights]] of foreign workers.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2006/78858.htm |title=Libya |author=Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor |date=6 March 2007 |publisher= [[United States Department of State|US State Department]] |access-date=5 March 2010}}</ref> In 1998, [[Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination|CERD]] expressed concern about alleged "acts of discrimination against migrant workers on the basis of their national or ethnic origin", which the United Nations Human Rights Council also expressed concern about in 2010.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=8411733 |title=Libya Must End Racism Against Black African Migrants and Others |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026161747/http://www.unwatch.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=bdKKISNqEmG&b=1313923&ct=8411733 |archive-date=26 October 2011}}</ref> Human Rights Watch in September 2006 documented how migrant workers and other foreigners were subjected to human rights abuses,<ref>{{cite news |title=Written statement* submitted by the United Nations Watch (UN Watch), a non-governmental organization in special consultative status |url=http://www.unwatch.org/atf/cf/%7B6deb65da-be5b-4cae-8056-8bf0bedf4d17%7D/WRITTEN%20STATEMENT%20ITEM%209.PDF |author=UN Watch |publisher=United Nations Human Rights Council |number=A/HRC/13/NGO/122 |date=16 February 2010 |access-date=10 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406124000/http://www.unwatch.org/atf/cf/%7B6deb65da-be5b-4cae-8056-8bf0bedf4d17%7D/WRITTEN%20STATEMENT%20ITEM%209.PDF |archive-date=6 April 2012}}</ref> which have increased drastically against black Africans under the [[National Transitional Council]] following the [[2011 Libyan Civil War|Libyan Civil War]].<ref name="guardian_milne"/>

===Criticism of allegations===
The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya rejected the allegations against the country. They pointed to how their country is founded on direct people's democracy that guaranteed direct exercise of authority by all citizens through the people's congresses. Citizens were able to express opinions of the congresses on issues related to political, economic, social, and cultural issues. In addition, there were information platforms such as newspapers and TV channels for people to express their opinions through. Libyan authorities also argued that no one in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya suffered from extreme poverty and hunger, and that the government guaranteed a minimum of food and essential needs to people with low incomes. In 2006, an initiative was adopted for providing people with low incomes investment portfolios amounting to $30,000 to be deposited with banks and companies.<ref>[http://lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/Documents/Session9/LY/A_HRC_WG.6_9_LBY_1_Libya_E.pdf "National report submitted in accordance with paragraph 15 (a) of the annex to Human Rights Council resolution 5/1, Great Socialist People’s Libyan Arab Jamahiriya"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529133237/http://lib.ohchr.org/HRBodies/UPR/Documents/Session9/LY/A_HRC_WG.6_9_LBY_1_Libya_E.pdf |date=29 May 2016 }} (HRC/WG.6/9/LBY/1), United Nations Human Rights Council, 24 August 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2013.</ref>

===HIV trial===
{{Main |HIV trial in Libya}}

The HIV trial in Libya (or Bulgarian nurses affair) concerns the trials, appeals and eventual release of six foreign medical workers charged with conspiring to deliberately infect over 400 children with HIV-tainted blood in 1998, causing an [[epidemic]] at El-Fatih Children's Hospital in [[Benghazi]].<ref name="Doctors face murder charges in Libya">
{{cite journal
  | last1 = Kovac
  | first1 = Carl
  | first2 = Radko
  | last2 = Khandjiev
  | title =Doctors face murder charges in Libya
  | journal =[[British Medical Journal]]
  | volume =322
  | page =260
  | issue =7281
  | date =2001-02-03
  | pmc=1119524
  | issn = 0959-8138
  | pmid =11157524  
  | doi = 10.1136/bmj.322.7281.260/b}}</ref>
On 6 May 2004, a Libyan court sentenced the workers to death. They were eventually remanded to Bulgarian custody in 2007, and subsequently pardoned.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/6912965.stm|title=HIV medics released to Bulgaria|date=2007-07-24|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=2007-07-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828053058/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6912965.stm|archive-date=28 August 2008|url-status=live}}</ref> The Libyan government filed complaints about the matter with the [[Arab League]] before the government's overthrow in 2011.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}

===Abu Salim Prison massacre===
{{main|Abu Salim Prison massacre}}

In 2006, [[Amnesty International]] called for an [[Public inquiry|independent inquiry]] into unconfirmed deaths that occurred in Abu Salim maximum security prison during the 1996 riot.<ref name="amnesty 346">{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org.au/news/comments/346|title=Investigation Needed into Prison Deaths|publisher=[[Amnesty International]]|access-date=31 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706124043/http://www.amnesty.org.au/news/comments/346|archive-date=6 July 2011|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2009, [[Human Rights Watch]] believes that 1,270 prisoners were killed.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.binrabah.com/h/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=337:2010-12-26-00-24-18&catid=39:e&Itemid=27 |title=Site news Bilal bin Rabah (the city of Al Bayda, Libya), a meeting with the Libyan Minister of Justice |publisher=Binrabah.com |access-date=25 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110203154053/http://www.binrabah.com/h/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=337:2010-12-26-00-24-18&catid=39:e&Itemid=27 |archive-date=3 February 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Human Rights Watch 1270">{{cite web|url= https://www.hrw.org/es/news/2009/10/16/libya-free-all-unjustly-detained-prisoners |title=Libya: Free All Unjustly Detained Prisoners |date=16 October 2009 |publisher=[[Human Rights Watch]]}}</ref> However, Human Rights Watch states that they were unable to independently verify the allegations. The claims cited by Human Rights Watch are based on the testimony of a single former inmate, Hussein Al Shafa’i, who stated that he did not witness a prisoner being killed: "I could not see the dead prisoners who were shot..."<ref name="hrw.org">[https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2006/06/27/libya-june-1996-killings-abu-salim-prison "Libya: June 1996 Killings at Abu Salim Prison"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610224625/https://www.hrw.org/en/news/2006/06/27/libya-june-1996-killings-abu-salim-prison |date=10 June 2015 }}, Human Rights Watch, 27 June 2006. Retrieved 10 October 2013.</ref>

The figure of 1200 killed was arrived at by Al Shafa’i allegedly calculating the number of meals he prepared when he was working in the prison's kitchen. At the same time, Al Shafa'i stated "I was asked by the prison guards to wash the watches that were taken from the bodies of the dead prisoners..."<ref name="hrw.org"/> Al Shafa’i lives in the United States, where he applied for asylum, Hussein al-Shafa'i said he entered Abu Salim from 1988 to 2000 on political charges.

The Libyan Government rejected the allegations about Abu Salim. In May 2005, the Internal Security Agency head of the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya told Human Rights Watch that the prisoners captured some guards and stole weapons from the prison cache. The prisoners and guards died as security personnel tried to restore order, and the government opened an investigation on the order of the Minister of Justice. The Libyan official stated that more than 400 prisoners escaped Abu Salim in four separate break-outs prior to and after the incident: in July 1995, December 1995, June 1996 and July 2001. Among the escapees were men who then fought with Islamist militant groups in Afghanistan, Iran, and Iraq.<ref name="hrw.org"/>

In 2009, the Libyan government stated that the killings took place amid confrontation between the government and rebels from the [[Libyan Islamic Fighting Group]], and that some 200 guards were killed as well.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-libya-massacre/libya-appoints-judge-to-probe-1996-prison-massacre-idUKTRE5850PJ20090906|title=Libya appoints judge to probe 1996 prison massacre|last=Shuaib|first=Ali|date=6 September 2009|access-date=2 July 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190427124103/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-libya-massacre/libya-appoints-judge-to-probe-1996-prison-massacre-idUKTRE5850PJ20090906|archive-date=27 April 2019|url-status=dead|work=[[Reuters]]}}</ref> In August 2009, several were granted amnesty by the government. Those released included 45 members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), most of whom had been in prison since the mid-1990s after being sentenced in unfair trials for an attempt to overthrow then-jamahiriya leader Muammar Gaddafi. The releases came after the group renounced violence in August 2009. Authorities at Abu Salim prison also released 43 "members of other jihadist groups," a press release said.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2009-10-16|title=Libya: Free All Unjustly Detained Prisoners|url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2009/10/16/libya-free-all-unjustly-detained-prisoners|access-date=2021-07-14|website=Human Rights Watch|language=en}}</ref>

In January 2011, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya confirmed that it was carrying out an investigation into the incident along with international investigators.<ref name="ohchr"/>

The Libyan insurgents claimed that 1270 people were buried at a supposed mass grave they discovered.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/libyan-rebels-say-mass-grave-found-with-bodies-of-1270-killed-by-qaddafi|title=Libyan Rebels Say Mass Grave Found With Bodies of 1,270 Killed by Qaddafi|date=25 September 2011|work=[[Fox News]]|access-date=22 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522151326/https://www.foxnews.com/world/libyan-rebels-say-mass-grave-found-with-bodies-of-1270-killed-by-qaddafi|archive-date=22 May 2019|url-status=live|agency=[[Associated Press]]}}</ref> However, investigators from CNN and other organizations found only what appeared to be animal bones at the site.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2011/09/25/world/africa/libya-mass-grave/|title=Libya hedges mass grave claim|date=26 September 2011|work=[[CNN]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810120035/https://edition.cnn.com/2011/09/25/world/africa/libya-mass-grave/|archive-date=10 August 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Torture===
In January 2011, the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya stated that the practice of torture and ill treatment was forbidden in article 434 of the Penal Code, which stated that public officials who had ordered the torture of a person or had committed an act of torture were sentenced to 3 to 10 years' imprisonment.<ref name="ohchr"/> Gaddafi openly condemned the use of torture, as a criticism against several [[General People's Committee|Revolutionary Committees]] that had condoned the use of torture.<ref name="ham_libya"/>

Torture was allegedly used by Libya's security forces to punish rebels, as well as civilians, after the rebellion hit north west Libya during the civil war.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/world/africa/06libya.html|title=Photos Found in Libya Show Abuses Under Qaddafi|last1=Kirkpatrick|first1=David D.|date=5 April 2011|work=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522152934/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/06/world/africa/06libya.html|archive-date=22 May 2019|url-status=live|last2=Chivers|first2=C.J.|author-link2=C. J. Chivers}}</ref> Gaddafi troops were responsible for the deaths of many Libyans, such as in the [[Yarmuk massacre]], where 124 civilians were tortured, raped, murdered, and burnt.<ref>{{Cite web |date=29 August 2011 |title=Evidence of Libya detainee massacre: Human Rights Watch |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/evidence-of-libya-detainee-massacre-human-rights-watch |website=NationalPress}}</ref>

==Civil war==
{{main|Human rights violations during the Libyan civil war (2011)|Protests against the 2011 military intervention in Libya}}

Various states and [[supranational union|supranational]] bodies have condemned the use of military and mercenaries against Libyan civilians during the [[2011 Libyan Civil War|Libyan Civil War]], an allegation that [[Saif al-Islam Gaddafi]] denies.<ref>{{cite news|last=Walker|first=Portia|title=Gaddafi's son denies ordering use of lethal force against civilians|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/gaddafis-son-denies-ordering-use-of-lethal-force-against-civilians-2305477.html|work=[[The Independent]]|access-date=22 October 2011|date=1 July 2011|location=London}}</ref>

After an emergency meeting on 22 February, the [[Arab League]] suspended Libya from taking part in council meetings and Moussa issued a statement condemning the "crimes against the current peaceful popular protests and demonstrations in several Libyan cities."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/libya-arabs-moussa-idUSLDE71K1W520110221 |title=Arab League Deeply Concerned by Libya Violence |publisher= [[Reuters]] |access-date=22 February 2011 |date=21 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-02-22/arab-league-bars-libya-from-meetings-citing-forces-crimes-.html|title=Arab League Bars Libya From Meetings, Citing Forces' 'Crimes'|date= 22 February 2011|publisher= [[Bloomberg L.P.|Bloomberg]] |access-date=22 February 2011|first=Ola|last=Galal}}</ref> Libya was suspended from the UN Human Rights Council by [[United Nations General Assembly Resolution 65/265]], which was adopted by consensus and cited the Gaddafi government's use of violence against protesters.<ref>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110311115112/http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/201131202637185959.html|archive-date=2011-03-11|url-status=dead|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/03/201131202637185959.html |title=Libya Suspended from Rights Body |date= 1 March 2011 |publisher= [[Al Jazeera English]]}}</ref> A number of governments, including Britain, Canada, Switzerland, the United States, Germany and Australia took action to freeze assets of Gaddafi and his associates.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/02/2011228105035282376.html |title=Gaddafi Sees Global Assets Frozen |date= 28 February 2011 |publisher= [[Al Jazeera English]]}}</ref> The move was criticised as double-standard as numerous similar human right abuses in Bahrain, Yemen or elsewhere produced no action at all.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

[[Luis Moreno Ocampo]], chief prosecutor of the [[International Criminal Court]], estimated that between 500 and 700 people were killed by Gaddafi's security forces in February 2011, before the rebels even took up arms. "Shooting at protestors was systematic," Moreno-Ocampo stated, discussing the Libyan government's response to the initial pro-democracy demonstrations.<ref name="NYT">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/world/africa/05nations.html|title=Libyan Officials' Arrests Sought by Court in Hague|last1=Simons|first1=Marlise|date=4 May 2011|work=[[The New York Times]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510023627/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/world/africa/05nations.html|archive-date=10 May 2011|url-status=live|last2=MacFarquhar|first2=Neil}}</ref>

Moreno-Ocampo further stated that during the ongoing civil war, "War crimes are apparently committed as a matter of policy" by forces loyal to Gaddafi.<ref name="NYT"/>
This is further supported by claims of Human Rights Watch, that 10 protesters, who had already agreed to lay down arms, were executed by a government paramilitary group in [[Bani Walid]] in May.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2011/08/18/libya-10-protesters-apparently-executed/ | publisher = [[Human Rights Watch]] | title=Libya: 10 Protesters apparently executed | date= 18 August 2011}}</ref>

On 26 February 2011, the [[United Nations Security Council]] voted unanimously in [[United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970|a resolution]] to impose strict sanctions, including targeted travel bans, against Gaddafi's government, as well as to refer Gaddafi and other members of his regime to the [[International Criminal Court]] for investigation into allegations of brutality against civilians, which could constitute [[crimes against humanity]] in violation of international law.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna41785849 |title=U.N. Security Council Slaps Sanctions on Libya |date=26 February 2011 |access-date=27 February 2011 | publisher = [[NBC News]]}}</ref> There are many reports of these sanctions being broken where support against Libyan government forces is the case.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

[[Anti-Gaddafi forces|Rebel forces]] have been criticized for a number of human rights violations, with some being accused of being responsible for the torture and killing of African [[Mercenaries]] who were targeting civilians in [[Misrata]], [[Benghazi]], and [[Zawiya, Libya|Zawiyah]].<ref name="guardian_milne">{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/oct/26/libya-war-saving-lives-catastrophic-failure|title=If the Libyan war was about saving lives, it was a catastrophic failure|last=Milne|first=Seumas|date=26 October 2011|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=27 October 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190424002333/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/oct/26/libya-war-saving-lives-catastrophic-failure|archive-date=24 April 2019|url-status=live|location=London}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=African migrants targeted |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/2/28/african-migrants-targeted-in-libya |access-date=2024-04-26 |website=Al Jazeera |language=en}}</ref>

According to the Amnesty investigation, the number of casualties was heavily exaggerated, and that "some of the protesters may have been armed," "there is no proof of mass killing of civilians on the scale of Syria or Yemen," and "there is no evidence that aircraft or heavy anti-aircraft machine guns were used against crowds." It also doubted claims from the media that the protest movement was "entirely peaceful" and "presented no security challenge."<ref name="amnesty_investigation">{{cite news| author = Cockburn, Patrick|title=Amnesty Questions Claim That Gaddafi Ordered Rape as Weapon of War|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/amnesty-questions-claim-that-gaddafi-ordered-rape-as-weapon-of-war-2302037.html| work = [[The Independent]] | access-date=3 July 2011|date=24 June 2011| location=London}}</ref>

However, in a later report from Amnesty International it was found that "al-Gaddafi forces committed serious violations of international humanitarian law (IHL), including war crimes, and gross human rights violations, which point to the commission of crimes against humanity. They deliberately killed and injured scores of unarmed protesters; subjected perceived opponents and critics to enforced disappearance and torture and other ill- treatment; and arbitrarily detained scores of civilians. They launched indiscriminate attacks and attacks targeting civilians in their efforts to regain control of Misrata and territory in the east. They launched artillery, mortar and rocket attacks against residential areas. They used inherently indiscriminate weapons such as anti-personnel land mines and cluster bombs, including in residential areas."<ref>Amnesty International, The Battle for Libya: Killings, Disappearances and Torture, 13 September 2011, MDE 19/025/2011
Jump up ^</ref>

In July 2011, [[Saif al-Islam Gaddafi]] had an interview with ''[[RT (TV Network)|Russia Today]]'', where he denied the ICC's allegations that he or his father Muammar Gaddafi ordered the killing of civilian protesters. He pointed out that he is not a member of the government or the military, and therefore has no authority to give such orders. According to Saif, he made recorded calls to General [[Abdul Fatah Younis]], who later defected to the rebel forces, in order to request not to use force against protesters, to which Fatah responded that they are attacking a military site, where surprised guards fired in self-defense.<ref>{{cite news|last=Smith|first=David|title=Gaddafi's son claims Nato wants deal with Libya|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/jul/01/gaddafi-son-nato-libya-deal|access-date=29 October 2011|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=1 July 2011|location=London}}</ref>

In August 2011, Physicians for Human Rights released a report documenting severe violations of human rights and evidence of war crimes and possible crimes against humanity in Misrata.<ref>Physicians for Human Rights. "Witness to War Crimes: Evidence from Misrata, Libya." {{cite web|url=http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/reports/witness-to-war-crimes.html |title=Physicians for Human Rights - Witness to War Crimes: Evidence from Misrata, Libya |access-date=2012-02-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161015110248/http://physiciansforhumanrights.org/library/reports/witness-to-war-crimes.html |archive-date=15 October 2016}}. Retrieved 28 February 2012.</ref> In December 2011, PHR released another report documenting evidence of a massacre at a warehouse in Tripoli in which soldiers of Khamis Qaddafi’s 32nd Brigade unlawfully detained, raped, tortured and executed at least 53 detainees.<ref>Physicians for Human Rights. "32nd Brigade Massacre: Evidence of War Crimes and the Need to Ensure Justice and Accountability in Libya." {{cite web|url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/PHR_Reports/Libya-32nd-Brigade-Massacre.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2012-02-28 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303205649/https://s3.amazonaws.com/PHR_Reports/Libya-32nd-Brigade-Massacre.pdf |archive-date=3 March 2016}}. Retrieved 28 February 2012.</ref> PHR’s medico-legal investigation and resulting report provided the first comprehensive account of the 32nd Brigade massacre, and provided forensic evidence needed to secure accountability for crimes according to international legal standards.

In January 2012, independent human rights groups published a report describing the human rights violations committed by all sides, including NATO, anti-Gaddafi forces, and pro-Gaddafi forces. The same report also accused NATO of war crimes.<ref>{{cite news|last=Shabi|first=Rachel|title=Nato accused of war crimes in Libya|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/africa/nato-accused-of-war-crimes-in-libya-6291566.html|access-date=23 January 2012|newspaper=[[The Independent]]|date=19 January 2012|location=London}}</ref> During and after the war, the [[National Transitional Council]] implemented a new Law 37, restricting [[freedom of speech]], where any praise of glorification of Gaddafi or the previous government is punishable with imprisonment, with sentences ranging from three to fifteen years. The law was eventually revoked in June 2012.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-18446110|title=Libya revokes Muammar Gaddafi praise law|date=14 June 2012|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=11 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522154152/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-18446110|archive-date=22 May 2019}}</ref>

According to [[Human Rights Watch]] annual report 2016, [[journalist]]s are still being targeted by the armed groups in [[Libya]]. One of the victims was Muftah Al-Qatrani, who worked for media production company, he was killed in [[Benghazi]] in April 2015. In other case, the fate of two [[Tunisia]]n journalist, Sofiane Chourabi and Nadhir Ktari, is still unknown since September 2014. Later, in April 2015, Groups affiliated with [[Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant|ISIS]] claimed the responsibility of killing them. In November 2015, the NGO [[Reporters Without Borders|Reporters Without Borders (RSF)]] claimed that journalists in Libya were targeted in 31 incidents during 2015. The organization added that Libya has very low rank in the 2015 press freedom index as it occupied 154 out of 180 countries.<ref>{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2016/country-chapters/libya|title=Libya|chapter=Libya: Events of 2015 |date=2016-01-11|access-date=2016-08-17}}</ref>

August 2016, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor warned from the illicit spreading of weapons among Libyan population. According to the monitor, dozens of loosely formed, armed groups have formed, which makes a "chaos of weapons". The spreading of weapons represents a major obstacle to the reconstruction of Libya. It is also paves the way to [[murder]], [[drug]], [[Arms trafficking|arm trafficking]] and [[kidnapping]]. The monitor calls central authorities in [[Libya]] to act urgently, with the [[United Nations|UN]] support to put an end to this chaos.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.euromedmonitor.org/en/article/1410/Libya-becoming-huge-%25E2%2580%2598weapons-warehouse-%25E2%2580%2599-leading-to-chaos-and-tragedy-|title=Libya becoming huge 'weapons warehouse,' leading to chaos and tragedy|last=Monitor|first=Euro-Med|access-date=2016-09-04}}</ref>

December 2016, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor issued a report regarding the violation of human rights in Libya. According to the report, since July 2014, Ganfoda has been besieged by Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army forces; the civilian has suffered long-month power cut, resulting in shortage of food, water, and medicine. As the civilians have been prevented from access to food and medical aid, more than 170 families were evacuated, yet the children are being used as bait by the Libyan army forces in order to prevent their families fleeing away to use them as a part of their militant operations. They are, therefore, at risk of detention and prolonged investigation, in case of attempting to cross the checkpoints. It also showed ambulance crews cannot enter the town due to ground and air attacks; and the Libyan Red Crescent Society cannot provide any humanitarian relief for the people.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/1676|title=Benghazi town at risk of imminent humanitarian crisis|last=Monitor|first=Euro-Med|newspaper=Euro-Mediterranean|access-date=2017-02-07|language=en}}</ref>

On September 21, 2020, the European Union Council imposed sanctions on three companies and two people, which were responsible for [[human rights abuses]] in [[Libya]] and violated the UN arms embargo. The sanctions consisted of asset freeze and a travel ban for persons, and asset freeze for the companies.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.consilium.europa.eu/en/press/press-releases/2020/09/21/libya-eu-imposes-additional-sanctions-for-human-rights-abuses-and-arms-embargo-violations/ |title= Libya: EU imposes additional sanctions for human rights abuses and arms embargo violations |access-date= 21 September 2020 |website= Consilium}}</ref>

On 25 July 2022, [[Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee]], UN Assistant Secretary-General for political affairs and peace operations stated that the overall situation in Libya remains “highly volatile”, while clashes in and around Tripoli surged. Frustrated Libyans demonstrated over the lack of progress on elections and poor State services, prolonging tensions and fuelling insecurity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/07/1123252|title=Libya: Human rights abuses, political stalemates, electoral delays mar progress|accessdate=25 July 2022|website=United Nations|date=25 July 2022 }}</ref>

The [[Libya Crimes Watch]] Organization<ref>{{cite web|url= https://lcw.ngo/en/|title= Libya Crimes Watch reports|date= 31 October 2016|accessdate= 25 July 2024}}</ref> monitors the human rights situation in Libya, and interacts with violations daily by publishing on its Facebook and Twitter platforms, as well as publishing data on the website and monthly reports summarizing the human rights violations that have been monitored and documented throughout Libya.{{cn|date=July 2024}}

==Women's rights==
As in many modern revolutions, women played a major role in the [[2011 Libyan Revolution]]. After the revolution, concerns were raised by human rights groups about attempts to sideline women in Libya's political and economic environments as well as a lack of strong protections for women's rights in the new constitution.<ref>[https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/libya0513_brochure_LOWRES_0.pdf "Revolution for All: Women’s Rights in the New Libya"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307043040/https://www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/reports/libya0513_brochure_LOWRES_0.pdf |date=7 March 2016 }}, Human Rights Watch, 19 May 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2013.</ref>

GNC opponents argue that it supported Islamist actions against women. [[Sadiq Ghariani]], the [[Grand Mufti]] of Libya, is perceived to be linked closely to Islamist parties. He has issued fatwas ordering Muslims to obey the GNC,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.libyaherald.com/2014/02/07/grand-mufti-supports-congress-remaining-in-office-forbids-action-against-it/#axzz3BEEmEefL|title=Grand Mufti supports Congress remaining in office, forbids action against it.|work=Libya Herald|date=7 February 2014 |access-date=14 October 2014}}</ref> and fatwas ordering Muslims to fight against [[Haftar]]'s forces.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/features/2014/06/12/feature-01|title=Mufti call for violence angers Libyans|work=Magharebia|access-date=14 October 2014}}</ref>

Later in 2013, lawyer Hamida al-Hadi al-Asfar, advocate of women's rights, was abducted, tortured and killed. It is alleged she was targeted for criticising the Grand Mufti's declaration.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://vivalibya.wordpress.com/2014/01/07/lawyer-who-supported-the-rights-of-women-found-dead/|title=Lawyer Who Supported the Rights of Women in Libya, Found Dead &#124; Viva Libya !|publisher=Vivalibya.wordpress.com|date=7 January 2014|access-date=16 August 2014}}</ref> No arrests were made.

In June 2013, two politicians, Ali Tekbali and Fathi Sager, appeared in court for "insulting Islam" for publishing a cartoon promoting women's rights.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/news/libya-must-drop-charges-against-politicians-over-women-s-rights-cartoon-2013-06-14 |title=Libya must drop charges against politicians over women's rights cartoon &#124; Amnesty International |publisher=Amnesty.org |access-date=16 August 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140326023115/http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/libya-must-drop-charges-against-politicians-over-women-s-rights-cartoon-2013-06-14 |archive-date=26 March 2014 }}</ref> Under sharia law they were facing a possible death penalty. The case caused widespread concern although they were eventually acquitted in March 2014. The GNC yielded to pressure for organising new elections, voting 124 out of 133 in favour of a new Electoral Law on 30 March 2014.<ref name="20140330_ElectoralLaw">{{cite news|url=https://www.libyaherald.com/2014/03/30/congress-votes-to-replace-itself-with-new-house-of-representatives/|title=Congress votes to replace itself with new House of Representatives|last1=Ahmed|first1=Elumami|date=30 March 2014|work=[[Libya Herald]]|access-date=11 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522153535/http://www.opemam.org/node/3486|archive-date=22 May 2019|url-status=live|url-access=subscription}}</ref> In the 25 June 2014 elections, Ali Tekbali was [[2014 Libyan parliamentary election#Results|elected to the new House of Representatives]] in the seat of Tripoli Central, with 4777 votes.<ref name="LHerald_2014election">{{cite news|url=https://www.libyaherald.com/2014/07/21/elections-2014-final-results-for-house-of-representative-elections-announced/|title=ELECTIONS 2014: Final results for House of Representative elections announced|last1=Paton|first1=Callum|date=22 July 2014|newspaper=[[Libya Herald]]|access-date=9 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190522153733/http://www.opemam.org/node/5948|archive-date=22 May 2019|url-status=live|last2=Seraj|first2=Essul|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Out of 200 seats, Article 16 of the Electoral Laws reserved 30 seats for women.<ref name="20140330_ElectoralLaw" />
[[File:Libyans protest GNC extension (II).jpg|thumb|Protesters stage a large demonstration in Shahat against the GNC's mandate extension plan.<ref name="Magharebia Shahat">{{cite web|url=http://magharebia.com/en_GB/articles/awi/features/2014/02/04/feature-01|title=Shahat slams GNC|publisher=Magharebia|date=4 February 2014|access-date=20 August 2014|author=al-Gattani, Ali}}</ref>]]

During [[Nouri Abusahmain]]'s presidency of the GNC and subsequent to GNC's decision to enforce sharia law in December 2013, gender segregation and compulsory [[hijab]] were being imposed in Libyan universities from early 2014, provoking strong criticism from women's rights groups.{{Citation needed|date=May 2019}}<ref>{{Cite book|title=Captain Katie Higgins|last=Schmidt Dis|first=Benjamin|publisher=LuLu Com|year=2019|pages=61}}</ref>

On 15 July 2020, Amnesty International urged the [[Libyan National Army]] to reveal the whereabouts of Siham Sergiwa, a Libyan politician and women’s rights defender who was violently abducted from her home a year ago.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/07/libya-abducted-politicians-fate-remains-unknown-a-year-on-amid-ongoing-disappearances/ |title= Libya: Abducted politician's fate remains unknown a year on, amid ongoing disappearances|access-date=17 July 2020|website=Amnesty International|date= 17 July 2020}}</ref>

== Slavery ==
{{Excerpt|Slavery in Libya}}

== Capital punishment ==
{{Excerpt|Capital punishment in Libya}}

== Libyan coastguard's violation of migrants' rights ==
The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor published a report condemning the Libyan coastguard officers' whipping of a group of migrants rescued near Libya’s Sabratha. In September 2014, nearly 450 migrants were drowned in the Mediterranean. In 2016, more than 4,578 migrants drowned there, following an agreement between the EU and Turkey and the closure of the Balkan route. According to the report, the migrants smuggled into [[Libya]] are subject to human trafficking, torture, forced labor, sexual exploitation, and arbitrary detention through their way. The Libyan forces were caught on video while humiliating migrants, including women and children. Besides, [[Human Rights Watch]] documented similar cases in which Libyan coastguard forces assaulted them verbally and physically in July 2016.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://euromedmonitor.org/en/article/1765|title=Libyan coastguard's whipping of migrants is a despicable violation of human rights|last=Monitor|first=Euro-Med|work=Euro-Mediterranean|access-date=2017-02-28|language=en}}</ref>

According to the [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|UNHCR]] figures, as of March 2019, 879 people have been rescued at sea by the Libyan Coast Guard in 10 operations in 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://reliefweb.int/report/libya/unhcr-update-libya-29-march-2019-enar|title=UNHCR Update Libya (29 March 2019) [EN/AR]|date=29 March 2019 |publisher= ReliefWeb|access-date=29 March 2019}}</ref> Around 6,000 migrants and asylum seekers are being held in [[Detention Centres in Libya|Libyan detention centers]]. More than 3,000 are at a risk of getting involved in the fight over [[Tripoli, Libya|Tripoli]].<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.hrw.org/news/2019/04/25/libya-detained-migrants-risk-tripoli-clashes|title=Libya: Detained Migrants at Risk in Tripoli Clashes|date=25 April 2019 |publisher=Human Rights Watch|access-date=25 April 2019}}</ref>

As per the report published by [[Amnesty International]], migrants in Libya’s detention camp faced unabated human rights violations during the first six months of 2021. Diana Eltahawy, Amnesty’s Middle East and North Africa director was quoted as saying “The report also highlights the ongoing complicity of European states that have shamefully continued to enable and assist Libyan coastguards in capturing people at sea and forcibly returning them to the hellscape of detention in Libya, despite knowing full well the horrors they will endure.”<ref>https://morningstaronline.co.uk/article/w/human-rights-violations-continue-unabated-libyas-migrant-detention-camps-amnesty%7Ctitle=Human<nowiki/>{{Dead link|date=November 2021}}</ref>

On 11 October 2022, [[United Nations|UN]] human rights reported that migrants in Libya were often compelled to accept ‘assisted return’ to their home countries in conditions that may not meet international human rights laws and standards. Additionally, the report finds that many migrants were returned to the same adverse drivers and structural conditions which compelled their movement in the first place, putting them in precarious and vulnerable situations upon their return. Such returns were unlikely to be sustainable from a human rights perspective.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/10/libya-un-human-rights-report-details-violations-migrants-rights-amid|title=Libya: UN human rights report details violations of migrants' rights amid 'assisted return' programmes|accessdate=11 October 2022|website=United Nation}}</ref>

{{Main|Detention Centres in Libya}}

==Historical situation==
{{Update section|date=January 2025}}
[[File:2016 Freedom House world map.png|thumb|330px|Country ratings from Freedom House's ''Freedom in the World 2016'' survey, concerning the state of world freedom in 2015.<ref name=FITW-TG-2016>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160205095411/https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FH_FITW_Report_2016.pdf ''Freedom in the World 2016''], Freedom House. Retrieved 28 January 2016.</ref>
{{center|{{legend inline|#16A983|Free (86)}} {{legend inline|#E5B63B|Partly Free (59)}} {{legend inline|#6973A5|Not Free (50)}}}}]]

The following table shows Libya's ratings since 1972 in the [[Freedom in the World]] reports, published annually by the US government-funded [[Freedom House]]. A score of 1 is "best"; 7 is "worst".<ref name=FITW-TG-2015>[https://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/01152015_FIW_2015_final.pdf ''Freedom in the World 2015''] {{webarchive |url=http://webarchive.loc.gov/all/20150206004310/https://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/01152015_FIW_2015_final.pdf |date=6 February 2015 }}, Freedom House. Retrieved 6 April 2015.</ref><ref name='FH1972'>{{cite web | url = http://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FIW%20All%20Scores%2C%20Countries%2C%201973-2012%20%28FINAL%29.xls | title = Country ratings and status, FIW 1973-2012 | access-date =22 August 2012 | author = [[Freedom House]] |year=2012 | format = XLS}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable collapsible" style="border:none; "
!Historical ratings
|-
|style="padding:0; border:none;"|
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="border-collapse:collapse;"
|- style="background:#eee; font-weight:bold; text-align:center;"
| style="width:3em; text-align:left;" | Year{{ref|a|1}}
| style="width:3em;" |[[Political Rights]]
| style="width:3em;" |[[Civil Liberties]]
| style="width:3em;" |Status
| style="width:3em;" |[[List of heads of state of Libya|Head of State]]{{ref|b|2}}
|- align=center
| align=left | 1972
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |Not&nbsp;Free
| style="background:#99f;" |[[Muammar Gaddafi]]
|- align=center
| align=left | 1973
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar&nbsp;Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1974
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1975
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1976
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1977
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1978
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1979
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1980
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1981
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1982{{ref|c|3}}
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1983
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1984
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1985
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1986
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1987
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1988
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1989
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1990
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1991
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1992
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1993
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1994
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1995
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1996
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1997
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1998
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 1999
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 2000
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 2001
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 2002
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 2003
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 2004
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 2005
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 2006
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 2007
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 2008
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 2009
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 2010
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |Muammar Gaddafi
|- align=center
| align=left | 2011
| style="background:#99f;" |7
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |Not Free
| style="background:#99f;" |[[Mustafa Abdul Jalil|Mustafa&nbsp;Abdul&nbsp;Jalil]]
|- align=center
| align=left | 2012
| style="background:#ff9;" |4
| style="background:#ff9;" |5
| style="background:#ff9;" |Partly&nbsp;Free
| style="background:#ff9;" |[[Mohammed Magariaf|Mohammed&nbsp;Magariaf]]
|- align=center
| align=left | 2013
| style="background:#ff9;" |4
| style="background:#ff9;" |5
| style="background:#ff9;" |Partly&nbsp;Free
| style="background:#ff9;" |[[Nouri Abusahmain]]
|- align=center
| align=left | 2014
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |6
| style="background:#99f;" |Not&nbsp;Free
| style="background:#99f;" |[[Aguila Saleh Issa]]
|}
|}

==International treaties==
Libya's stances on [[International human rights law|international human rights treaties]] are as follows:

{| class="wikitable collapsible" style="border:none; "
!International treaties
|- style="background:#eee; font-weight:bold; text-align:center;"
| Treaty
| Organization
| Introduced
| Signed
| Ratified
|- align=center
| style="background:#9f9; align=left" | [[Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide]]<ref name='UN 1'>{{cite web|url=http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-1&chapter=4&lang=en |title=United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 1. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Paris, 9 December 1948 |access-date=29 August 2012 |author=[[United Nations]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020233944/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-1&chapter=4&lang=en |archive-date=20 October 2012}}</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;" | [[United Nations]]
| style="background:#9f9;" |1948
| style="background:#9f9;" |-
| style="background:#9f9;" |1989
|- align=center
| style="background:#9f9; align=left" | [[International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination]]<ref name='UN 2'>{{cite web|url=http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-2&chapter=4&lang=en |title=United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 2. International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. New York, 7 March 1966 |access-date=29 August 2012 |author=[[United Nations]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110211223019/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-2&chapter=4&lang=en |archive-date=11 February 2011}}</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;" | United Nations
| style="background:#9f9;" |1966
| style="background:#9f9;" |-
| style="background:#9f9;" |1968
|- align=center
| style="background:#9f9; align=left" | [[International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights]]<ref name='UN 3'>{{cite web|url=http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-3&chapter=4&lang=en |title=United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 3. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. New York, 16 December 1966 |access-date=29 August 2012 |author=[[United Nations]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120917040858/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-3&chapter=4&lang=en |archive-date=17 September 2012}}</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;" | United Nations
| style="background:#9f9;" |1966
| style="background:#9f9;" |-
| style="background:#9f9;" |1970
|- align=center
| style="background:#9f9; align=left" | [[International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights]]<ref name='UN 4'>{{cite web|url=http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-4&chapter=4&lang=en |title=United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 4. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. New York, 16 December 1966 |access-date=29 August 2012 |author=[[United Nations]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100901184638/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-4&chapter=4&lang=en |archive-date=1 September 2010}}</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;" | United Nations
| style="background:#9f9;" |1966
| style="background:#9f9;" |-
| style="background:#9f9;" |1970
|- align=center
| style="background:#9f9; align=left" | [[First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights]]<ref name='UN 5'>{{cite web | url = http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-5&chapter=4&lang=en | title = United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 5. Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. New York, 16 December 1966 | access-date = 29 August 2012 | author = [[United Nations]] | archive-date = 24 March 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190324125027/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-5&chapter=4&lang=en | url-status = dead }}</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;" | United Nations
| style="background:#9f9;" |1966
| style="background:#9f9;" |-
| style="background:#9f9;" |1989
|- align=center
| style="background:#9f9; align=left" | [[Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity]]<ref name='UN 6'>{{cite web | url = http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-6&chapter=4&lang=en | title = United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 6. Convention on the non-applicability of statutory limitations to war crimes and crimes against humanity. New York, 26 November 1968 | access-date = 29 August 2012 | author = [[United Nations]] | archive-date = 16 November 2018 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181116072232/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-6&chapter=4&lang=en | url-status = dead }}</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;" | United Nations
| style="background:#9f9;" |1968
| style="background:#9f9;" |-
| style="background:#9f9;" |1989
|- align=center
| style="background:#9f9; align=left" | [[International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid]]<ref name='UN 7'>{{cite web|url=http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-7&chapter=4&lang=en |title=United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 7. International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid. New York, 30 November 1973 |access-date=29 August 2012 |author=[[United Nations]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120718122932/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-7&chapter=4&lang=en |archive-date=18 July 2012}}</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;" | United Nations
| style="background:#9f9;" |1973
| style="background:#9f9;" |-
| style="background:#9f9;" |1976
|- align=center
| style="background:#9f9; align=left" | [[Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women]]<ref name='UN 8'>{{cite web|url=http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-8&chapter=4&lang=en |title=United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 8. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. New York, 18 December 1979 |access-date=29 August 2012 |author=[[United Nations]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120823144158/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-8&chapter=4&lang=en |archive-date=23 August 2012}}</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;" | United Nations
| style="background:#9f9;" |1979
| style="background:#9f9;" |-
| style="background:#9f9;" |1989
|- align=center
| style="background:#9f9; align=left" | [[Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment]]<ref name='UN 9'>{{cite web|url=http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-9&chapter=4&lang=en |title=United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 9. Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. New York, 10 December 1984 |access-date=29 August 2012 |author=[[United Nations]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101108052518/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-9&chapter=4&lang=en |archive-date=8 November 2010}}</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;" | United Nations
| style="background:#9f9;" |1984
| style="background:#9f9;" |-
| style="background:#9f9;" |1989
|- align=center
| style="background:#9f9; align=left" | [[Convention on the Rights of the Child]]<ref name='UN 11'>{{cite web|url=http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-11&chapter=4&lang=en |title=United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 11. Convention on the Rights of the Child. New York, 20 November 1989 |access-date=29 August 2012 |author=[[United Nations]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140211151110/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-11&chapter=4&lang=en |archive-date=11 February 2014}}</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;" | United Nations
| style="background:#9f9;" |1989
| style="background:#9f9;" |-
| style="background:#9f9;" |1993
|- align=center
| style="background:#99f; align=left" | [[Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty]]<ref name='UN 12'>{{cite web|url=http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-12&chapter=4&lang=en |title=United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 12. Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty. New York, 15 December 1989 |access-date=29 August 2012 |author=[[United Nations]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020234014/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-12&chapter=4&lang=en |archive-date=20 October 2012}}</ref>
| style="background:#99f;" | United Nations
| style="background:#99f;" |1989
| style="background:#99f;" |-
| style="background:#99f;" |-
|- align=center
| style="background:#9f9; align=left" | [[International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families]]<ref name='UN 13'>{{cite web|url=http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-13&chapter=4&lang=en |title=United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 13. International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families. New York, 18 December 1990 |access-date=29 August 2012 |author=[[United Nations]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825222904/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-13&chapter=4&lang=en |archive-date=25 August 2012}}</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;" | United Nations
| style="background:#9f9;" |1990
| style="background:#9f9;" |-
| style="background:#9f9;" |2004
|- align=center
| style="background:#9f9; align=left" | [[Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women]]<ref name='UN 8b'>{{cite web| url = http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-8-b&chapter=4&lang=en| title = United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 8b. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. New York, 6 October 1999| access-date = 29 August 2012| author = [[United Nations]]| archive-date = 20 May 2011| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110520040105/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-8-b&chapter=4&lang=en| url-status = dead}}</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;" | United Nations
| style="background:#9f9;" |1999
| style="background:#9f9;" |-
| style="background:#9f9;" |2004
|- align=center
| style="background:#9f9; align=left" | [[Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict]]<ref name='UN 11b'>{{cite web| url = http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-11-b&chapter=4&lang=en| title = United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 11b. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the involvement of children in armed conflict. New York, 25 May 2000| access-date = 29 August 2012| author = [[United Nations]]| archive-date = 25 April 2016| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160425032942/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-11-b&chapter=4&lang=en| url-status = dead}}</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;" | United Nations
| style="background:#9f9;" |2000
| style="background:#9f9;" |-
| style="background:#9f9;" |2004
|- align=center
| style="background:#9f9; align=left" | [[Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography]]<ref name='UN 11c'>{{cite web| url = http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-11-c&chapter=4&lang=en| title = United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 11c. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. New York, 25 May 2000| access-date = 29 August 2012| author = [[United Nations]]| archive-date = 13 December 2013| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131213004558/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-11-c&chapter=4&lang=en| url-status = dead}}</ref>
| style="background:#9f9;" | United Nations
| style="background:#9f9;" |2000
| style="background:#9f9;" |-
| style="background:#9f9;" |2004
|- align=center
| style="background:#ff9; align=left" | [[Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities]]<ref name='UN 15'>{{cite web|url=http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-15&chapter=4&lang=en |title=United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 15. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. New York, 13 December 2006 |access-date=29 August 2012 |author=[[United Nations]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819033725/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-15&chapter=4&lang=en |archive-date=19 August 2012}}</ref>
| style="background:#ff9;" | United Nations
| style="background:#ff9;" |2006
| style="background:#ff9;" |2008
| style="background:#ff9;" |-
|- align=center
| style="background:#99f; align=left" | [[Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities]]<ref name='UN 15a'>{{cite web|url=http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-15-a&chapter=4&lang=en |title=United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 15a. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. New York, 13 December 2006 |access-date=29 August 2012 |author=[[United Nations]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113202037/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-15-a&chapter=4&lang=en |archive-date=13 January 2016}}</ref>
| style="background:#99f;" | United Nations
| style="background:#99f;" |2006
| style="background:#99f;" |-
| style="background:#99f;" |-
|- align=center
| style="background:#99f; align=left" | [[International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance]]<ref name='UN 16'>{{cite web| url = http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-16&chapter=4&lang=en| title = United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 16. International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance. New York, 20 December 2006| access-date = 29 August 2012| author = [[United Nations]]| archive-date = 17 July 2019| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190717085558/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-16&chapter=4&lang=en| url-status = dead}}</ref>
| style="background:#99f;" | United Nations
| style="background:#99f;" |2006
| style="background:#99f;" |-
| style="background:#99f;" |-
|- align=center
| style="background:#99f; align=left" | [[Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights]]<ref name='UN 3a'>{{cite web| url = http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-3-a&chapter=4&lang=en| title = United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 3a. Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. New York, 10 December 2008| access-date = 29 August 2012| author = [[United Nations]]| archive-date = 18 July 2012| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120718111116/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-3-a&chapter=4&lang=en| url-status = dead}}</ref>
| style="background:#99f;" | United Nations
| style="background:#99f;" |2008
| style="background:#99f;" |-
| style="background:#99f;" |-
|- align=center
| style="background:#99f; align=left" | [[Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure]]<ref name='UN 11d'>{{cite web|url=http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-11-d&chapter=4&lang=en |title=United Nations Treaty Collection: Chapter IV: Human Rights: 11d. Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a communications procedure . New York, 19 December 2011. New York, 10 December 2008 |access-date=29 August 2012 |author=[[United Nations]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120825214748/http://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=IV-11-d&chapter=4&lang=en |archive-date=25 August 2012}}</ref>
| style="background:#99f;" | United Nations
| style="background:#99f;" |2011
| style="background:#99f;" |-
| style="background:#99f;" |-
|}

==See also==
{{Portal|Libya}}

* [[Al-Gaddafi International Prize for Human Rights]]
* [[Detention Centres in Libya]]
* [[Health in Libya]]
* [[Internet censorship by country#.C2.A0Libya|Internet censorship in Libya]]
* [[LGBT rights in Libya]]
* [[Women in Libya]]

== Notes ==
:1.{{note|a}}Note that the "Year" signifies the year the report was issued. The information for the year marked 2009 covers the year 2008, and so on.
:2.{{note|b}}As of 1 January.
:3.{{note|c}}The 1982 report covers 1981 and the first half of 1982, and the following 1984 report covers the second half of 1982 and the whole of 1983. In the interest of simplicity, these two aberrant "year and a half" reports have been split into three-year-long reports through interpolation.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110222024733/http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=ENGMDE190082007 Amnesty International. LIBYAN ARAB JAMAHIRIYA.BRIEFING TO THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMITTEE, 2007]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090226174621/http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2008/nea/119121.htm US Department of State.2008 Human Rights Report: Libya]
* [http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/profiles/Libya.pdf Library of Congress country study]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20060820205435/http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/1447/ Censorship in Libya] - [[International Freedom of Expression Exchange|IFEX]]
* [https://www.amnesty.org/en/region/libya/report-2012 2012 Annual Report], by [[Amnesty International]]
* [http://www.freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/2012/libya-0 Freedom in the World 2011 Report], by [[Freedom House]]
* [https://www.hrw.org/world-report-2012/world-report-2012-libya World Report 2012], by [[Human Rights Watch]]

{{Country study}}
{{Africa in topic|Human rights in}}
{{Human rights in the Middle East}}
{{Libya topics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Human Rights In Libya}}
[[Category:Human rights in Libya| ]]
[[Category:Government of Libya]]
[[Category:Human rights by country|Libya]]
[[Category:Law of Libya]]
[[Category:Society of Libya]]