On December 17, 2010, a 26-year-old Tunisian man set himself on fire after abusive police confiscated his unlicensed vegetable cart, his only source of income. This desperate act of protest inspired a movement that swept the country and ignited calls for reform throughout the region. Thousands of Tunisians took to the streets to denounce their tyrannical government and, within weeks, successfully ousted President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali from power. On January 25, 2011, Egyptians came together by the thousands to launch a massive pro-democratic movement that would, in 18 days, end President Hosni Mubarak’s 30-year reign. Emboldened antigovernment protests quickly erupted in Jordan, Yemen, Algeria, Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Oman and Libya as well.

Through in-depth research in five states, Human Rights Watch documented scores of cases of disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and torture carried out by security forces. Virtually none of these cases is being adequately investigated—not in the military or civilian justice systems. Nor is the government investigating most of the 45,000-plus homicides allegedly tied to organized crime. And the impunity for these crimes has contributed to an environment of lawlessness in many parts of the country, making for a counterproductive public security strategy.

Human Rights Watch Emergencies Director, Peter Bouckaert explores an unguarded weapons storage facility about 100km south of Sirte with vast amounts of explosive weapons.