The Committee for Justice strongly condemns the killing of Sharaf al-Din Hamdan, a young man who was shot dead in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, by unidentified armed elements while passing through the Ras Hassan area with a companion who survived and later testified about the incident.
This crime comes only days after Hamdan — himself, a former prisoner — published alarming leaks from inside the detention centers of the Deterrence Service at Mitiga Airport, exposing grave violations against detainees. Hamdan had spent eleven years arbitrarily detained in the facility without trial, during which he was subjected to torture and ill-treatment, according to testimonies and human rights reports.
The Deterrence Service for Combating Organized Crime and Terrorism, led by Abdel Raouf Kara, emerged after 2012 and was formally institutionalized in 2018. It has since expanded its authority over the Mitiga complex — which includes the civil airport, air base, and the “Reform and Rehabilitation Foundation” prison — while extending its influence into sovereign and vital institutions in Tripoli. This official recognition has emboldened its leadership and members to commit further violations, including operating secret prisons such as those revealed in Hamdan’s recent leaks.
The Committee holds the Libyan authorities fully responsible for safeguarding the lives of civilians and ensuring that those implicated in Hamdan’s killing — as well as in the abuses documented within Deterrence Service facilities — are brought to justice. The Committee specifically calls for:
- Opening an independent and transparent investigation into the killing of Sharaf al-Din Hamdan and prosecuting all those responsible.
- Disclosing the fate of all detainees held in Deterrence Service prisons and either releasing them or bringing them promptly before the judiciary.
- Closing all secret prisons and ending the entrenched policy of impunity that enables ongoing violations.
The Committee warns that continued impunity in Libya represents a grave threat to human rights and civil peace. It urges the international community to exert real pressure on the Libyan authorities to secure justice for victims and put an end to unlawful practices by security services operating outside the bounds of the law.
