Amnesty International releases an 18-page report on Friday, May 27 about disappearances and deteriorating conditions in the area in the far west of Libya, which has been under siege and under fire from forces loyal to Colonel al-Gaddafi since early March.
The report documents how scores of people, mostly young men, have “disappeared” in the Nafusa Mountain area at the hands of forces loyal to Colonel al-Gaddafi and have not been seen or heard from again.
The report also details indiscriminate rocket attacks on civilian areas in Nafusa and the growing difficulty that residents face in surviving on supplies smuggled in from Tunisia.
Among a number of recommendations, the report calls on the authorities in Tripoli to:
- Stop government forces using inherently indiscriminate weapons (cluster weapons, anti-personnel landmines, Grad rockets); and end the use of artillery and mortars in residential areas);
- Lift arbitrary restrictions on the access to water, electricity, fuel and other basic necessities in the region;
- Ensure that civilians who want to leave Libya are allowed safe passage; and
- Ensure that humanitarian aid can be delivered to the Nafusa Mountain area.
The report is largely based on a fact-finding visit to Tunisia in April, when Amnesty International met people who had fled from the Nafusa region.
To read the report in full: please see the attached file or visit the Amnesty International website
An Amnesty International spokesperson involved in the research and writing of the report is available for interviews from London in English, French or Arabic.