The United Nations has reported that the Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Libya will submit its report to the Human Rights Council next October, after its first visit to Tripoli, which lasted four days, in which it provided updated information to the Libyan authorities about its work.
“The main goal of our visit was to strengthen our cooperation with the Libyan authorities in the fulfillment of our mandate”, said Mohamed Aujjar, the head of the FFM, adding that “Human Rights Council urged the Libyan authorities to extend full cooperation to the Mission and we are pleased that the Libyan authorities showed commitment to continue to cooperate with the Mission and assist our work.”
Aujjar also stated that this visit followed an investigation mission conducted earlier last July, noting that the Mission has been able to gather a significant amount of information despite the challenges it has faced, including time constraints and travel restrictions due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
FFM member, Tracy Robinson said that they are in a position to reach a number of important findings, which they will present to the Human Rights Council next October, noting that identifying the violations and abuses committed in Libya since 2016 requires much longer time.
Aujjar indicated that many witnesses refused to deal with the Mission out of fear for their safety, saying that they called on the Libyan authorities to ensure the freedom of individuals to cooperate with the Mission, stressing that “accountability for past and ongoing human rights violations and addressing prevailing impunity, must be part of the process of achieving peace and stability”.
