The postponement of first-ever Libyan presidential elections originally scheduled for 24 December should be used as an opportunity by the internationally recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) and those with de facto control of Libyan territory to urgently address barriers to the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly and participation in public affairs, Amnesty International said. In the run up to the now postponed elections, militias and armed groups across the country ramped up their repression on dissenting voices, restricted civic space and attacked elections officials and infrastructure, amid the failure of the GNU and those with de facto control of territory to guarantee the right to participation in public affairs and protect all those involved in elections from violence, coercion and threats.
