• Libya: Q&A on the ICC and Saif al-Islam Gaddafi
    Q & A
    Jan 23, 2012
  • Libya: Lagging Effort to Build Justice System
    Press release
    Jan 22, 2012

    Libya’s interim government and its international supporters should make it an urgent priority to build a functioning justice system and begin legal reform that protects human rights after Muammar Gaddafi, according to the Human Rights Watch World Report 2012.

     

  • In His First Interview, Saif al-Islam Says He Has Not Been Given Access to a Lawyer
    Commentary
    Dec 30, 2011

    The guards in the remote Libyan town of Zintan called their prisoner, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, “our black box.” The second-oldest son of Muammar Gaddafi knew the secrets of Libya’s past, they said: Gaddafi’s deals with foreign governments and companies, the whereabouts of still-missing prisoners, the details of crimes committed during the regime’s failed attempt to crush this year’s popular revolt. Saif al-Islam, 39, had to be protected so Libyans and the world could learn what had really taken place. And for the guards in Zintan, a town of 50,000 atop a desert mountain, keeping Libya’s most-wanted man safe from the sort of frenzied opposition fighters who had apparently executed Saif’s father and brother Mutassim also offered a chance to patch up the country’s reputation for justice after the Oct. 20 killing of Muammar Gaddafi.

  • In Libya, Building the Rule of Law
    Commentary
    Dec 30, 2011

    When I first met Mustafa Abdel-Jalil, now the chairman of Libya’s Transitional National Council, in April 2009, he was the beleaguered justice minister in Muammar el-Qaddafi’s Libya, virtually the sole brave voice among senior officials demanding accountability from the country’s security services.

  • Libya: Make Urgent Justice System Reforms
    Press release
    Dec 22, 2011
    Libya’s transitional government should urgently enact desperately needed reform to promote human rights and the rule of law after 42 years of dictatorship and eight months of war.
  • Libya: Ensure Gaddafi Son’s Access to Lawyer
    Press release
    Dec 21, 2011

    Libyan authorities appear to be holding Saif al-Islam Gaddafi in good physical conditions but should allow him immediate access to a lawyer.

  • The Women's Lib Movement in Libya Sees a Surprising Twist
    Commentary
    Nov 24, 2011
    As female activists in Tripoli push for equal rights, they get a surprise visit from the country’s highest-ranking men, including chairman of the National Transitional Council—who hedges on his controversial stance on polygamy.
  • Libya: Reported Capture of Abdullah Sanussi
    Press release
    Nov 20, 2011
    Libyan authorities should treat humanely Abdullah Sanussi, Muammar Gaddafi’s intelligence chief, who was reportedly captured in southern Libya, Human Rights Watch said today. The Libyan authorities should ensure Sanussi’s safety and promptly transfer him to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for fair trial.
  • Libya: Surrender Saif al-Islam Gaddafi to ICC
    Press release
    Nov 19, 2011
    Libya’s National Transitional Council (NTC) should uphold its international legal obligations and promptly surrender Saif al-Islam Gaddafi, a son of Muammar Gaddafi, to the International Criminal Court (ICC), Human Rights Watch said today.
  • Kisses for Karimov
    Commentary
    Nov 16, 2011
    So is it right to kiss up to tyrants when their fortunes are up? The question may be moot when it comes to Qaddafi, but it's a decision that U.S. officials still confront every day -- not only in the Arab world, but also with regard to other brutal and undemocratic "allies," for example in Central Asia.