To the Attorney General of the Libyan State: Assadeek Ahmad Essor
Dear Mr. Assadeek Ahmad Essor,
The 12 May assassination of Abdelghani Al-Kikli, known as ‘Ghneiwa’ inside the 444th Brigade headquarters of the Ministry of Defense, and the ensuing armed clashes across Tripoli, have once again exposed the enduring crisis of the impunity and unchecked power of armed groups in Libya. Civilians have paid the price with at least ten dead and dozens injured, and residential areas shelled with heavy weapons.
This moment is not simply another episode of violence; it marks a turning point, and a unique opportunity for your office to assert its constitutional role as the guarantor of legality and public accountability. The Attorney General must not remain sidelined as militias enforce their own vision of justice through targeted killings and power struggles. In a functioning state, it is the role of the judiciary to investigate extrajudicial killings, mass graves, torture, and enforced disappearances; it is not the remit of armed groups.
Your office embodies the rule of law in Libya. Without justice, vengeance and violence will unravel the state. Now is the time to act.
The Stability Support Apparatus (SSA), created under Presidential Council Decision No. 26 of 2021 and led by Al-Kikli until his death, has long faced credible allegations of serious human rights violations including arbitrary detention, torture, enforced disappearance, and summary execution, many of which were documented by the UN Panel of Experts, Amnesty International, and Libyan civil society organizations. Numerous facilities under SSA control, including the former Abu Salim Zoo, have been linked to these crimes. Yet, no effective judicial action has been taken to date.
The SSA is not the only actor responsible for grave violations. Other armed groups operating nominally under state authority, including the Rada – Deterrence Forces, led by Abdelraouf Kara and based at Mitiga, have also been repeatedly accused of arbitrary detention, religious policing, and ill-treatment of detainees, including political opponents, journalists, and members of vulnerable communities. These violations often occur in complete opacity, partly because they are outside of authorities’ supervision. All detention facilities, regardless of which faction controls them, must be subject to the same standards of accountability and independent oversight.
Institutional inaction has contributed to a dangerous erosion of legal authority in Libya. To reverse course, your office must reassert the judiciary’s exclusive competence to investigate and prosecute grave crimes, without interference or partiality.
Following Al-Kikli’s death, reports have surfaced of newly discovered mass graves, raising alarm about long-standing patterns of extrajudicial killings and attempts to conceal evidence. There is a real risk that armed groups may tamper with evidence, intimidate witnesses, or obstruct access to key sites. Some of these locations remain under militia control, further compromising prospects for justice. Your office must act immediately to secure these sites, ensure independent forensic teams can conduct their work safely, and preserve all material evidence. Without such action, the opportunity to establish the truth and hold perpetrators to account will be lost.
To uphold the duties that fall under its remit, we urge your office to:
- Open a criminal investigation into the killing of not only Al-Kikli but also all the victims of recent clashes; including the conduct of all armed units involved and the legal responsibility of their commanders.
- Launch formal investigations into mass graves including both the recent discoveries in Tripoli and earlier sites such as Tarhuna, and ensure that all evidence is collected and preserved.
- Investigate allegations of arbitrary detention, torture, and enforced disappearance in Rada, 444 Brigade and SSA controlled facilities, including Abu Salim.
- Establish a public, accountable process for identifying and prosecuting perpetrators, in coordination with relevant judicial and forensic institutions.
- Prohibit and prevent any armed group from conducting law enforcement functions, including investigations or detentions, outside the legal framework of the Libyan judiciary.
Justice in Libya cannot be delivered by force or delegated to militias. It must be led by the institutions of the state, with full respect for legality, due process, and non-selectivity. Your office is at the center of this mandate.
This moment demands clarity, independence, and resolve. It is not only an institutional test—it is an opportunity to restore public trust and reaffirm the rule of law as the only path to national stability.
Signing organizations,
The Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies
The Libya Platform for Human Rights
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