UN demands investigation over torture footage at Libyan prison

The UN mission in Libya has pushed for an urgent investigation into reports of abuse and torture of inmates, after footage was leaked online believed to be from a prison in the east of the country, The New Arab via Reuters reported on January 15th.
In a statement made on January 14th, The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) said that it was “alarmed by the disturbing footage circulating on social media, which shows brutal torture and ill-treatment of detainees at the Gernada detention facility in eastern Libya.”
The Gernada prison, is run by military personnel under the control of leader Khalifa Haftar, who backs the country’s eastern-based administration, which is a rival of the government in Tripoli, which is UN-recognised.
In recent days, footage of inmates subjected to violence by men in uniforms in what is seemingly a detention centre has been disseminated on social media.
Levantis reported that a leaked Libyan prison video shows an almost naked prisoner being whipped in a corridor, as well as another man who is elderly, being struck with a stick until he falls, according to Agenzia Nova on January 13th.
According to Reuters, the mission said: “As UNSMIL continues to verify the circumstances of the circulated footage, it strongly condemns these acts that constitute serious violations of international human rights law.”
Although the videos are unverified the UNSMIL said the footage appeared “consistent with documented patterns of human rights violations in detention facilities across Libya”.
The UNSMIL added that the videos showed “both Libyan and foreign nationals”, and the alleged torture “constitute serious violations of international human rights law.”
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The architectural details in the footage, such as the tiles on the floor, the wall painting and cell bars are “consistent” with the prison’s file imagery found in “corroborating reports,” according to Reuters.
The Gernada prison is reportedly well-known for detaining those critical of the Haftar-backed authorities.
The UNSMIL have called on authorities to start an “an immediate and transparent investigation” into the apparent abuse towards inmates.
The UNSMIL also said it was “coordinating” with the eastern authorities to make sure there is “unrestricted access” to the facility in Gernada “other detention centres under their control.”
It has been long established that International human rights groups have strongly spoken against the abuse in Libyan detention centres, mentioning the violence and torture.
The eastern-based authorities and Tripoli have not commented on the accusations or the latest footage.
Libya has reportedly been in a state of disarray following the fall of the regime of Muammar Gaddafi during a NATO-backed uprising of 2011.
The New Arab, Reuters