At Least 50 Men in Eastern Libya Face Imminent Execution, Rights Groups Warn
At least 50 more men face imminent execution, rights groups warn. Secret military trials and reports of executions despite reduced sentences leave prisoners with little protection, even when they win an appeal.
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by Sami Haddad
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Forces controlling eastern Libya have executed at least 31 people since late August, Human Rights Watch said on October 14, warning that at least 50 more prisoners face imminent execution.
The rights group said the executions followed grossly unfair military trials. Those now at risk are held at Gernada military prison, under forces of the Libyan Arab Armed Forces, or LAAF, led by General Khalifa Haftar. The executions would be Libya's first known since 2010.
The warning follows an urgent appeal on October 13 by Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists, Libya Crimes Watch and the World Organisation Against Torture. Their joint letter reported at least 30 executions, including of civilians, and identified the same imminent danger to at least 50 men.
The executions have proceeded despite a November 2025 ruling by Libya's Supreme Court that struck down the legal provision allowing military courts to try civilians for terrorism-related and state-security offences. The coalition said military proceedings continued.
Amnesty documented at least two people being executed after a higher military court reduced their death sentences to life imprisonment, according to the joint letter. The groups said the stated legal basis for those executions was unclear.
