Full Breakdown
Wave of Executions by Libya’s Eastern Military Courts Raises International Alarm
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Execution Wave in Eastern Libya
Since late August 2026 the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), the de facto military authority in eastern and southern Libya, have carried out at least 31 executions after convictions by military courts. The first batch of ten people was announced on August 23 2026, with six additional executions documented on August 29 2026. Human-rights monitors recorded a total of 31 executions as of September 10 2026. The executions were performed by firing squad and targeted individuals convicted of murder, terrorism-related offences, and other charges.
Background and Context
Libya’s justice system is split between the internationally recognised Government of National Unity in Tripoli and the LAAF-controlled administration in the east. Military courts in the east have long tried civilians, a practice the Constitutional Chamber of Libya’s Supreme Court declared unconstitutional on November 2 2025 because Law No. 4/2017 granted them jurisdiction over civilians accused of “terrorism-related offences” and “crimes against the State.” Despite that ruling, the LAAF continued to prosecute civilians in secret military tribunals.
Data & Statistics
- Executions confirmed: 31 individuals (as of September 10 2026).
- Executions announced on August 23 2026: 10 people.
- Additional executions on August 29 2026: 6 people.
- Persons held at Gernada military prison facing imminent execution: at least 50.
- Death sentences handed down between 2018 and 2021 in eastern military courts: hundreds, with at least 22 sentenced to death.
Official Statements & Responses
Human Rights Watch called on the LAAF to halt all executions and impose a moratorium on the death penalty, emphasizing that the trials violated Libya’s own Supreme Court rulings. Amnesty International reported that many convictions relied on confessions allegedly extracted under torture by the Internal Security Agency, an LAAF-affiliated group. The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) issued a statement on September 16 2026 urging a suspension of executions and a credible review of the cases. A joint letter from Amnesty International, the International Commission of Jurists, Libya Crimes Watch, and the World Organisation Against Torture appealed to diplomatic missions to press the LAAF for an immediate moratorium.
Criticism & Opposition
The United Nations and the internationally recognised GNU condemned the executions as violations of international human-rights law, including the right to life (ICCPR art. 6) and the right to a fair trial (ICCPR art. 14). UN human-rights experts warned that secret executions and denial of family notification constitute ill-treatment under article 7 of the ICCPR.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the exact death toll. HRW documents 31 executions, while a joint letter from NGOs references at least 30. The total number of people sentenced to death in eastern military courts is reported as 90 by Libya Crimes Watch, but the breakdown of civilians versus military personnel remains unverified. Details about the specific offences for many of the executed individuals are also lacking.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The Libyan Arab Armed Forces are putting people to death after secret trials built on confessions allegedly extracted through torture, in courts that Libya’s own Supreme Court has said should not be trying civilians,” — Bassam Khawaja, HRW’s deputy Middle East and North Africa director
What’s Next
UNSMIL and the joint NGO letter urge diplomatic missions to demand that the LAAF publicly announce a moratorium on executions and allow independent investigators access to detention sites such as Gernada and al-Kuwayfiyah. The organizations also call for the quashing of death sentences issued after trials that failed to meet international fair-trial standards and for the transfer of any remaining civilian cases to civilian courts.
