UN presses Libya on disappeared MP Siham Sergiwa

Libyan Express

19-07-2025

UN links MP disappearances to systemic abuse in Libya
On 17 July 2025, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) marked six years since the disappearance of Libyan parliamentarian Siham Sergiwa, renewing its call for a comprehensive, independent, and transparent investigation into her fate and accountability for those responsible.
Sergiwa, a prominent elected member of the House of Representatives and a vocal advocate for inclusive governance and civilian rule, was abducted from her home in Benghazi on the night of 17 July 2019. Armed men, widely believed to be loyal to forces under the command of Khalifa Haftar, stormed her residence, assaulted her husband, and took her away to an undisclosed location. Since then, no credible investigation has been launched, and her whereabouts remain unknown.
UNSMIL expressed deep alarm at the continued silence surrounding her case and the failure of authorities in eastern Libya to hold anyone accountable. The mission warned that Sergiwa's case is emblematic of a broader pattern of repression and political intimidation. It also drew attention to the disappearance of fellow MP Ibrahim Al-Dersi, who went missing in May 2024, also in Benghazi. In 2025, disturbing footage emerged online showing a man believed to be Al-Dersi bound, blindfolded, and bearing visible signs of torture. Despite public outcry, the incident has not prompted any serious investigation or official response.
The UN mission linked these disappearances to a disturbing and well-documented pattern of abuse. In June 2025, international forensic teams uncovered more than 80 bodies buried in mass graves or stored in refrigerated containers at facilities previously operated by the now-defunct Stability Support Apparatus (SSA) in Tripoli. Some of the remains were identified as individuals who had been reported missing. Investigators also found signs of systematic torture, arbitrary executions, and severe violations of human dignity.
The SSA, established in 2021 and long accused of operating with impunity, was officially disbanded in May 2025 following the killing of its commander, Abdel Ghani al-Kikli (commonly known as 'Ghaniwa'), during clashes in the capital. Despite its formal dissolution, the legacy of abuse attributed to the SSA continues to raise serious concerns over state-sanctioned violence and the collapse of the rule of law.
UNSMIL stressed that the use of enforced disappearances, abductions, arbitrary detention, and torture reflects a systematic strategy to silence dissent and suppress opposition voices. These actions, it warned, constitute grave breaches of international human rights law, and may amount to international crimes prosecutable by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
The mission called on Libyan authorities—particularly political and security actors in both the east and west—to take immediate and concrete steps to end these practices. It urged the launch of transparent and impartial investigations into all cases of enforced disappearance, the preservation and forensic examination of newly discovered gravesites, and the prosecution of perpetrators through credible judicial processes.
As the fate of Siham Sergiwa remains unresolved six years after her abduction, the UN's renewed appeal underscores a deeper crisis: the entrenchment of impunity, the erosion of justice, and the deliberate targeting of Libya's elected representatives and civil society voices. Without accountability, the mission warned, such abuses will continue to undermine the prospects for peace, stability, and democratic governance in Libya.