Amnesty International report on Gnewa Kikli’s crimes is unacceptable, Libya Minister of Justice says
The dispute between Amnesty International and the Libyan authorities continues on the case of the detention centers managed by the Stability Support Force, Tripoli branch, under the command of Abdulghani Al Kikli, alias Gnewa. The Ministry of Justice in the Libyan Government of National Unity found the recent report by Amnesty International “unacceptable”, stating that it is based on media reports lacking of legal bases and principles.
In its report, released on May 5, Amnesty called for the dismissal and delivery to justice of the head of the Stability Support Agency al-Kikli, as well as his former deputy, Lotfi al-Harari, describing them as militia leaders committing violations while holding positions in the State. The Ministry of Justice, in a statement on Thursday, accused Amnesty of having launched unprofessional and selective accusations and sentences on facts still under investigation, warning that this negatively affects Libyan public opinion and damages the rule of law, also affecting the course of justice.
After confirming its position against impunity, the Libyan Ministry of Justice underlined the capacity of its judiciary and its intrinsic competence to consider and judge all cases and that all law enforcement agencies operate in accordance with the code of procedure. Libyan criminal law and respect the law. In its latest report, Amnesty International said that “the entrenchment of impunity in Libya has encouraged the state-funded stabilization support device to commit illegal killings and arbitrarily detain people.” The human rights organization also accused the agency of “disrupting the routes of migrants and refugees and arbitrarily detaining them, practicing torture and forced labor and other horrific violations of human rights and crimes under international law”.
Stability Support commander Gnewa accused Amnesty of defamation after its report on violations against migrants and refugees, describing it as “lacking the most basic standards of professional work”, also urging Amnesty International to contact the security agency and consult Libyan institutions before publishing any accusations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the same government had also defended the work of Stability Support, pointing out that Amnesty International is not present in Libya and has never visited the detention centers mentioned in its report. It should be remembered that the security agency under the command of Abdulghani Al-Kikli has strengthened its position with the executive of National Unity, playing a role of increasing importance, following the political dispute between the two premier, Abdel Hamid Dabaiba and Fathi Bashagha.