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Summary: During the 15th Special Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on February 25th, the Council adopted a resolution on Libya.
Press Release - 25 February 2011 The Human Rights Council this afternoon adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in Libya. Resolution S-15/L.1, adopted by consensus without a vote, calls on the Libyan government to, among other things, immediately release all arbitrarily detained persons, stop attacks against civilians, cease intimidation, persecution and arbitrary arrests of individuals, ensure the safety of all civilians including citizens of third countries, cease blocking internet and telecommunications networks and to respect the popular will, aspirations and demands of the people. The resolution also reminded Libya of its obligations as a Member of the Human Rights Council to uphold the highest standards of human rights and to guarantee the access of human rights and humanitarian organizations to the country. The resolution also calls for the Human Rights Council to dispatch an independent, international commission of inquiry to Libya to investigate all alleged violations of international human rights law in the country. Before the adoption of the resolution, the Human Rights Council continued a debate that it had begun that morning with Libya being the first country to address the body at the beginning of afternoon session. The delegation from Libya asked for a moment of silence for all those who had died in the country in the past weeks. Libya asked the members of the Organization of Islamic Conference to stand for a moment to read from the Koran in memory of the martyrs that died in the 15 February revolution. Libya said that history had shown that the will of the people was invincible and the memory of people was stronger than those who bore hatchets. The Libyan people, the grandchildren of the heroes of the Italian fascist revolution, were now writing a new chapter in the struggle against oppression. The delegation emphasized that the Libyan mission had decided to represent and serve the Libyan people and not the regime. Libya's speech was met with a round of applause in the Council chamber and several delegations later praised Libya's courage and willingness to appear before the Council today. During the afternoon discussion, Observer States and non-governmental organizations took the floor to say that they considered the ongoing coercion and oppression in Libya as a humanitarian catastrophe which went against Islamic and human values. They called on the Libyan authorities to stop the violence against innocent Libyans immediately and unconditionally and address their claims peacefully and through serious dialogue. The situation in Libya warranted an urgent response by the Human Rights Council and it would be a litmus test for the ability of that body to deal with situations of gross systematic violations of human rights. The Council must establish an independent and international investigation into alleged serious human rights violations in Libya which would be the first necessary step towards the full criminal accountability of persons responsible for such violations. The passage of the resolution came after a full day of discussion during this Special Session, which was the first to be convened concerning a sitting member of the Human Rights Council. During the morning session the Council heard from the High Commissioner of Human Rights, Navi Pillay, Gomez del Prado, the Chair of the Working Group on the use of Mercenaries who spoke on behalf of all Special Procedures mandate holders of the Human Rights Council, and numerous Member and Observer States. Further Information