Libya: Martyrs’ families call for continuing lawsuits against Haftar’s militia

The Association of the Families of the Martyrs of the Burkan of Al-Ghadab in Libya (AFMBA) called on Friday to continue filing lawsuits against the militia of Khalifa Haftar for crimes committed during its attack on the capital in 2019.

This came in a video statement read by the association’s president, Kamal Al-Jamal, posted on its Facebook page.

Haftar’s militia, with the support of Arab and European countries, launched an aggression against Tripoli on 4 April, 2019, killing and wounding hundreds of soldiers and civilians, along with massive destruction, before the Libyan army was able to defeat it.

“I appeal to you to hurry up and not hesitate to submit notifications to the judicial and executive authorities, asking them to initiate a public lawsuit and follow up on your complaints,” Al-Jamal expressed.

He stressed: “Justice will not be achieved unless the perpetrators are truly held accountable by the judicial authorities.”

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He revealed that the complaints submitted to the Public Prosecutor were: “Neglected and placed in the drawers, like the case reports prepared by the prosecutors assigned to the time of the aggression.”

AFMBA was established in August 2020, and aims to care for the families of the deceased in the Libyan army and civilians who have fallen victim to wars. The number of families registered in the association is 2,180.

On Thursday, 55 parliamentarians expressed their astonishment at the “international silence” on the crimes and graves discovered in the city of Tarhuna, south of the capital, Tripoli.

A total of 78 mass and individual graves have been discovered in Tarhuna. According to a census of the Anadolu Agency correspondent, the number of bodies recovered in the city has reached 238.

Libya has recently witnessed a political breakthrough. On 16 March, an elected transitional authority comprising a unity government and a presidential council assumed its duties to lead the country to elections.