“I fear the worst since he has been in the hands of al-Gaddafi forces. But I just want to know if he is dead or alive. If we know [he was killed], at least we will be able to mourn, and start the healing process.” Sister of 19-year-old Mostafa Ibrahim El-Baghdadi, who disappeared in Misratah in mid-March 2011

Across Libya, anguished families wait to learn the fate of their vanished relatives. Hundreds – possibly thousands – have reportedly been subjected to enforced disappearances by Colonel al-Gaddafi’s forces since the unrest began. Some were arrested before the 17 February “Day of Rage”, in a vain attempt to quell opposition. They face torture and other ill-treatment, and even extrajudicial execution.

The al-Gaddafi forces refuse to disclose any information about the fate or whereabouts of those detained. Some may be held in key detention facilities such as the Ain Zara and Abu Salim prisons, the Salaheddin facility in Tripoli, and the Sirte military police barracks; but the authorities deny independent bodies access to these places.

The disappeared – mostly men – come from across Libya: Benghazi and other part of Eastern Libya, Misratah, the Nafusa Mountain; and the capital, Tripoli. They include those suspected of opposing al-Gaddafi; those taken by retreating al-Gaddafi forces; and those who vanished in fighting in the east. Some were taken away after raids by al-Gaddafi forces on opposition-controlled territory; others when leaving opposition strongholds. Since the unrest, the families of political prisoners already held by the Tripoli authorities have had no news about their imprisoned relatives.
While some have been released, many others remain disappeared. Some former detainees reported torture or ill-treatment by al-Gaddafi forces in Sirte and Tripoli. Some have appeared on state television, apparently after being tortured, purportedly “confessing” to joining armed groups, belonging to al-Qa’ida, being drug addicts, or having been deceived by the opposition.

To the extent that the practice of enforced disappearances is part of a widespread or systematic attack by al-Gaddafi forces on civilians, such disappearances constitute crimes against humanity, under Article 7 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.

Enforced disappearance is a human rights violation and a crime under international law. Sign the petition now to demand an end to enforced disappearances in Libya. On 30 August, the International Day of the Disappeared, Amnesty International will deliver it to representatives of Colonel al-Gaddafi’s government.

Ahead of 30 August, the International Day of the Disappeared, call for the government of Mu’ammar al-Gaddafi to end enforced disappearances.

“I call on the government of Colonel Mu’ammar al-Gaddafi to:

• Disclose information on the fate, number, whereabouts and legal status of people arrested and detained since mid-February 2011; and, in the event of death, inform their relatives, representatives or counsel of the circumstances and cause of death and the destination of the remains.
• Ensure that the families and lawyers of civilians detained are informed immediately of the place of detention, and allow immediate and independent access to all places of detention, including those not under the General People’s Committee for Justice, to ensure the safety and well-being of detainees; and
• Immediately and unconditionally release all those detained solely on account of their opinions or peaceful activities, and guarantee them safe passage to their homes.