110 Abductees Held by Armed Gangs Freed in Libya

The Tripoli Military Region freed 110 hostages from different nationalities that had been kidnapped by armed gangs in Bani Walid. (AFP file photo)
The Tripoli Military Region freed 110 hostages from different nationalities that had been kidnapped by armed gangs in Bani Walid. (AFP file photo)
TT
20

110 Abductees Held by Armed Gangs Freed in Libya

The Tripoli Military Region freed 110 hostages from different nationalities that had been kidnapped by armed gangs in Bani Walid. (AFP file photo)
The Tripoli Military Region freed 110 hostages from different nationalities that had been kidnapped by armed gangs in Bani Walid. (AFP file photo)

The Tripoli Military Region freed on Tuesday 110 hostages from different nationalities that had been kidnapped by armed gangs in the northwestern Libyan city of Bani Walid.

In a statement, the Tripoli Military Region’s 444 Brigade said it raided on Tuesday 16 hideouts belonging to gangs that are implicated in kidnapping and theft in Bani Walid. It discovered the 110 abductees during the operation.

It added that the criminal gangs had attempted to negotiate with the families of the victims to pay a ransom for their release. It assured them that their loved ones were well and that they will be turned over to the concerned authorities.

A migrant crossing point that leads to the west coast, Bani Walid has become notorious for the kidnapping and trafficking of the asylum-seekers.

The United Nations has repeatedly warned of the dangerous trafficking operations taking place in the city.

In March, the same brigade announced that it had freed 120 hostages, mostly Egyptian, who had been held by traffickers.



Rights Defenders Denounce US Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
TT
20

Rights Defenders Denounce US Sanctions on UN Expert on Palestinians

UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo
UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories, Francesca Albanese gives a press conference at the UN City in Copenhagen, Denmark February 5, 2025. Ritzau Scanpix/Ida Marie Odgaard via REUTERS/File Photo

Human rights defenders rallied on Thursday to support the top UN expert on Palestinian rights, after the United States imposed sanctions on her over what it said was unfair criticism of Israel.

Italian lawyer Francesca Albanese serves as special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, one of dozens of experts appointed by the 47-member UN Human Rights Council to report on specific global issues.

She has long criticized Israeli treatment of the Palestinians, and this month published a report accusing over 60 companies, including some US firms, of supporting Israeli settlements in the West Bank and military actions in Gaza.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Wednesday Albanese would be added to the US sanctions list for work which had prompted what he described as illegitimate prosecutions of Israelis at the International Criminal Court.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk urged Washington to reverse course.

"Even in the face of fierce disagreement, UN Member States should engage substantively and constructively, rather than resort to punitive measures," he said, Reuters reported.

Juerg Lauber, the Swiss permanent representative to the UN who now holds the rotating presidency of the Human Rights Council, said he regretted the sanctions, and called on states to "refrain from any acts of intimidation or reprisal" against the body's experts.

Mariana Katzarova, who serves as the special rapporteur for human rights in Russia, said her concern was that other countries would follow the US lead.

"This is totally unacceptable and opens the gates for any other government to do the same," she told Reuters. "It is an attack on UN system as a whole. Member states must stand up and denounce this."

Russia has rejected Katzarova's mandate and refused to let her enter the country, but it has so far stopped short of publicly adding her to a sanctions list.

Washington has already imposed sanctions against officials at the International Criminal Court, which has issued arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister for suspected war crimes in Gaza. Another court, the International Court of Justice, is hearing a case brought by South Africa that accuses Israel of genocide.

Israel denies that its forces have carried out war crimes or genocide against Palestinians in the war in Gaza, which was precipitated by an attack by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023.

"The United States is working to dismantle the norms and institutions on which survivors of grave abuses rely," said Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch.

The group's former head, Kenneth Roth, called the US sanctions an attempt "to deter prosecution of Israeli war crimes and genocide in Gaza".

The United States, once one of the most active members of the Human Rights Council, has disengaged from it under President Donald Trump, alleging an anti-Israel bias.