Tripoli— A joint team concerned with human rights inspected on Saturday Tripoli Main Reform and Rehabilitation Institution (RRI) at the Mitiga air base with the objective to assess the human rights and humanitarian conditions within the institution and temporary detention facilities.
The team met with a number of inmates, including those prisoners charged with terrorism offenses, reviewed their files, and inquired about the process of transferring prisoners to the Public Prosecution Office.
Headed by Fawzia Karawan, a member of the High Council of State (HCS) and head of the Council’s Human Rights Committee, the team, which included members from the National Institution for Human Rights in Libya (NIHRL), also reviewed the conditions and legal status of the prisoners though it failed to review or meet with political prisoners and women, according to NIHRL statement.
The NIHRL, however, did not say just why it was prevented from interviewing these two groups of prisoners,
Part of the significance of such visit stems from the fact that it is the first time ever that a human rights team visits this prison. In addition, the visit itself came upon an initiative by the Deterrence Force to Combat Terrorism and Organized Crime (DFCTOC), knowing as “Radaa” force, a major armed group in Tripoli and the epicenter of the latest armed clashes in the capital from 12 to 14 May.
The DFCTOC is effectively the sole supervisor of the prison and the Reform and Rehabilitation Institution (RRI) located within Mitiga compound, which also hosts the Mitiga International Airport in Tripoli.
Commenting on the experience, the NIHRL said it “appreciates the level of cooperation demonstrated by the institution’s management and the Deterrence Force with its team. This is a very important and positive step for efforts to strengthen the rule of law, justice, and the protection of human rights. It will be built upon to enhance standards of justice and transparency and improve conditions.”
When asked by Al-Wasat newspaper about Tunisia’s refusal to receive 15 Tunisian prisoners registered on terrorism charges, Karawan said “the Deterrence Force for Combating Terrorism and Organized Crime has expressed its full cooperation with the Tunisian government in this regard, indicating its willingness to hand over the names and files of the Tunisian prisoners.”
Ms. Karawan also indicated that during the visit, the delegation inspected the site of the attack on Mitiga Prison during the recent clashes that took place in Tripoli on 14 May. She noted that “a shell fell specifically on the terrorist prisoners’ cell, resulting in deaths and injuries, particularly among those present in the prison clinic at the time of the attack.”
The delegation was supposed to include among its team two members of the House of Representatives but they were unable to make it, she told the newspaper.
