The Libyan Association of Members of Judicial Bodies criticized on Sunday what it described as the "silence and negligence" of the Rule of Law Section of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) concerning the arrest and "assault" on Judge Ali Al-Sharif and lawyer Munir Abeid.
In a statement, the association called on the UN mission to avoid discrimination in handling human rights cases and to refrain from selective responses when issuing statements. It stressed the need for the mission and its human rights section to adhere to the correct course outlined in its founding resolution and not to deviate from it.
The association said that the mission's Rule of Law Section is tasked with supporting human rights issues and upholding the integrity, respect, and dignity of the judiciary without interfering in the internal affairs of the judicial authority. It warned that it would suspend cooperation with the mission and its human rights section if they "continue to deviate from their legal path and fail to support human rights and the rule of law."
Last Tuesday, the association reported that a security agency assaulted Judge Ali Al-Sharif of Qasr Bin Ghashir Primary Court at his home in the Souq Al-Juma district of Tripoli and detained him. He was later released following the intervention of Attorney General Al-Siddiq Al-Sour.
On Saturday, Libya Crimes Watch organization confirmed the arrest of lawyer Munir Abeid in Benghazi by armed men affiliated with the Internal Security Agency. He was reportedly taken to an unofficial detention center at the agency's headquarters in the Sidi Hussein district of Benghazi without any legal procedures.
