The Foreign Affairs Committee in the House of Representatives has demanded that the US defendants arrested for promoting Christianity in Libya be presented to the judicial authorities as soon as possible.
About a week ago, the security services in Libya announced the arrest of Libyan nationals for allegedly converting to Christianity.
The interrogations of the Christian converts led to the identification of a US network proselytizing Christianity. Several US nationals were arrested as a result.
The committee stated that "the main suspect, who is an American citizen, exceeded his jurisdiction and exploited his position as a teacher by luring young people to spread his beliefs without the knowledge of their families."
It called for tighter laws to protect Libyan society, adding that preaching another religion is rejected by social norms in the county.
However, the London-based Al-Sharq Al-Awsat quoted official sources from the Government of National Unity as saying that four US defendants charged in the respective case left Libya from Mitiga Airport on Friday.
It may be worth noting that converting from Islam to other faiths is forbidden under interpretations of Sharia, as converts are considered apostates.
Apostasy in Islam is a crime punishable by death. The religious converts are given a grace period specified in the Sharia law to reconsider their decision before the sentence is carried out.