New York - Almost 7 000 people, many of them foreigners, are being held in Libyan detention centres controlled by “revolutionary brigade” militias, according to a new United Nations report.
Women and children are among the detainees and some have allegedly been tortured, said the report by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon ahead of a Security Council meeting on Monday on Libya's reconstruction after the death of dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
Political prisoners from the Gaddafi regime have been freed, but the estimated 7 000 new detainees have no access to courts “in the absence of a functioning police and judiciary”, said the report.
The UN said sub-Saharan Africans accused or suspected of being Gaddafi mercenaries make up a large number of those held.
“Some detainees have reportedly been subjected to torture or ill treatment. Cases have been reported of individuals being targeted because of the colour of their skin,” said Ban's report.
The largely tribal-based “revolutionary brigades” united to force Gaddafi out of power but have retained significant control in their own regions, according to diplomats and UN officials.
The UN report said the National Transitional Council has started to take over from the militias but “much remains to be done to regularise detention, prevent abuse and bring about the release of those whose detention should not be prolonged”.
In a separate statement, Ban on Wednesday welcomed the announcement of Libya's interim government but said it faces “numerous challenges” including “the crucial issues of national reconciliation, public security, human rights protection, and the resumption of basic services to the Libyan people”. - Sapa-AFP