18 July 2020; MEMO: The Tripoli-based Libyan House of Representatives (HOR) renewed its demand for a comprehensive local and international investigation to uncover the fate of the forcibly disappeared MP Siham Sergiwa, and to bring her abductors to justice.
This came in a statement, on the occasion of the one-year anniversary of the disappearance of Sergiwa, after she was kidnapped by the militia of retired General Khalifa Haftar, from her home in the eastern city of Benghazi.
Since 17 July 2019, Haftar’s militia has been hiding Sergiwa, 57, following her kidnapping, after its demand to stop the aggression against Tripoli.
“One year after the hideous crime of the kidnapping of Sergiwa, the HOR denounces this cowardly act and condemns it in the strongest terms,” the statement expressed.
The statement added that the HOR reiterates its request to the security and judicial authorities at the local and international levels, to open a comprehensive investigation that reveals the fate of the MP and brings her abductors to justice.
The statement emphasised that: “The HOR will not give up knowing the truth and achieving justice and retribution for the perpetrators.”
In the same vein, the United Nations (UN) Support Mission in Libya on Friday expressed its concern about the continued “enforced disappearance” of MP Sergiwa.
The UN mission noted: “The Libyan authorities concerned in the east of the country are responsible by law for the safety and security of all persons in the territories under their control.”
It added: “The mission remains extremely concerned about the safety and security of Sergiwa, in the absence of any confirmed news about her fate or whereabouts.”
The UN Mission called on the Libyan authorities to prevent and investigate these crimes and to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Human Rights Watch confirmed today that the whereabouts of Sergiwa’s location are still unknown. It quoted Hanan Salah, a senior researcher in Libya, stating: “The leadership of Haftar’s forces and the interim government must explain what it is doing to find out who kidnapped Sergiwa and where she is. Military and civilian authorities in eastern Libya must be aware that if they do not prevent or prosecute serious crimes committed by their subordinates, they can also be held responsible by local or international bodies.”
On 22 June, the UN Human Rights Council decided to send an “investigation mission” to Libya to document the abuses committed since 2016.
