A Tunisian national has died in custody in eastern Libya months after being detained by forces loyal to Khalifa Haftar, a human rights group has reported.
Fathi Mahmoud Al-Zairi, 66, was arrested on 4 November 2024 outside his shop in the city of Sirte. According to the Libyan Crimes Watch Organization, he died on 4 April 2025 in Kuwaifiya Prison in Benghazi.
His family was informed of his death via a phone call from Haftar’s forces. His body was later transferred to Benghazi Medical Centre and registered under an anonymous name.
The group described the arrest as arbitrary and said it was part of a wider crackdown launched in October 2024, in which more than 50 people were detained over allegations of “practising witchcraft and sorcery.”
Between November 2024 and February 2025, the organization said it documented the deaths of four individuals in custody — including a woman and two men affiliated with Sufi religious orders — all following similar arrests.
The rights group blamed the authorities of the eastern-based parallel government for what it called a grave violation of international human rights law. It urged the Attorney General to open an immediate investigation and bring those responsible to justice in accordance with fair trial standards.
It also called on authorities in eastern Libya to end the use of anti-sorcery laws as a tool for repression and to ensure the protection of individuals from discrimination based on belief, in line with international rights conventions.
