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PHR has been addressing human rights violations in Libya since 2006 when it advocated for the release of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian physician wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death for allegedly infecting children with the AIDS virus in a Libyan hospital. The health workers were eventually released after eight years of imprisonment.

In 2008, PHR advocated for the release of ailing Libyan political prisoner Fathi al-Jahmi, who was examined by PHR advisor Dr. Scott Allen, and called for an investigation into his death in 2009.

PHR also investigated severe human rights violations committed by Muammar Qaddafi's tyranical regime during the 2011 uprising that eventually ended his 42-year-long autocratic rule. In September 2011, PHR investigators went to Tripoli to investigate allegations of mass murder, resulting in our report, 32nd Brigade Massacre: Evidence of War Crimes and the Need to Ensure Justice and Accountability in Libya.

Previously, in June 2011, PHR sent an investigative team to the coastal city of Misrata shortly after rebel forces liberated it. Our report, Witness to War Crimes: Evidence from Misrata, Libya, provides evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity including murder, torture, rape, forced internment, and disappearance.

In view of the apparent discovery of mass graves and mass killing sites in Libya, and amidst allegations of human rights violations by various armed actors throughout the months-long conflict of 2011, PHR has called for the immediate protection of all evidence and witnesses so that war crimes can be fully investigated. Protecting evidence of any and all crime scenes will ensure that independent investigations of alleged war crimes can take place. Without such protection, evidence of past atrocities, as well as those that have occurred during the 2011 conflict, may be lost.

Qaddafi's Abattoir (January 24, 2012)

Since the collapse of the Qaddafi government, many mass graves have been discovered throughout Libya, evidence of the brutalities committed during the uprising. The forensic evidence provided by Physicians for Human Rights has helped to provide a clearer understanding of these atrocities.

New Libya needs justice and accountability (January 13, 2012)

After Gaddafi, Libya must investigate suspected war crimes committed by all sides says PHR's Richard Sollom in a Global Post Op-Ed.

Hidden deaths of Libyan rape survivors (January 9, 2012)

Wartime rape is a persistent and brutal aspect of conflict, whether during or in the aftermath of hostilities. In the recent warfare in Libya, as well as in most civil and international armed conflicts, women were subjected to different forms of visible and invisible violence, including sexual exploitation and abuse. However, the most recent news reports reveal that the wartime rape of women and minors in Libya was systematic and adopted by Moammar Gadhafi's troops on a massive scale and as a strategic weapon of war, leaving thousands of physically and psychologically devastated women.

New Report Provides First In-Depth Forensic Account of Libyan Massacre (December 20, 2011)

Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) today released a report that combines medicine, forensic science, and eyewitness testimony to paint a stark picture of life and death in detention in Tripoli. The report, “32nd Brigade Massacre: Evidence of war crimes and the need to ensure justice and accountability in Libya,” provides a detailed and comprehensive forensic account of the 32nd Brigade massacre under Khamis Qaddafi on August 23, 2011 in Khalat Al Forjan, Tripoli.

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More Persecution of Health Workers News »
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ICC to Investigate Rape in Misrata Using Doctors’ Testimonies and Hospital Records (April 24, 2012)

ICC Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo has announced his intention to investigate mass rape as a weapon of war in Misrata, Libya during last year’s conflict.

Former Libyan Spy Chief, Wanted Criminal, Should be Tried at the ICC (March 21, 2012)

Reports that Libya’s former spy chief, Abdullah al-Senussi, was apprehended late last week in Nouakchott, Mauritania, have sparked international discussion about where best to prosecute this wanted war criminal.

UN Identifies Libyan War Criminals; PHR Continues Its Call for Justice (March 15, 2012)

This week, the UN Security Council unanimously voted to extend the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) for another year. UNSMIL, comprising a small team of international experts, was established last September to support post-conflict reconstruction.

Pro-Qaddafi Forces and Rebels Committed War Crimes (March 5, 2012)

The United Nations concluded on 2 March 2012 that both pro-Qaddafi forces and rebels committed war crimes during the Libyan conflict last year.

More Mass Atrocities Posts »
More Persecution of Health Workers Posts »
More War Crimes in Libya Posts »

Libya Should Surrender Saif al-Islam Qaddafi to the ICC (April 2012)

PHR is disappointed in the Libyan transitional authorities’ decision not to surrender Saif al-Islam Qaddafi, Muammar Qaddafi’s son who is wanted for crimes against humanity.

32nd Brigade Massacre: Evidence of war crimes and the need to ensure justice and accountability in Libya (December 2011)

This report, which combines medicine, forensic science, and eyewitness testimony to paint a stark picture of life and death in detention in Tripoli, provides a detailed and comprehensive forensic account of the 32nd Brigade massacre under Khamis Qaddafi on August 23, 2011 in Khalat Al Forjan, Tripoli. PHR’s investigation highlights the urgent need for Libya to establish due process, document crimes to the highest forensic standards, and acknowledge victim’s right to know the truth about their loved ones within a transitional justice process addressing grievances on all sides.

Witness to War Crimes: Evidence from Misrata, Libya (August 2011)

When Libyans first took to the streets to protest Colonel Muammar Qaddafi’s autocratic rule in February 2011, Qaddafi's response was quick and brutal: attack protesters and target civilians in a deliberate campaign to quash dissent across the country. This report documents some of the conflict's most severe human rights violations that must be addressed as a new civilian government emerges.

Physicians for Human Rights Calls for the Protection of Evidence of Atrocities in Libya (August 2011)

Protecting evidence of any and all crime scenes from the unrest in Libya will ensure that independent investigations of alleged war crimes can take place. Without such protection, evidence of past atrocities, as well as those that have occurred during the recent conflict, may be lost.

More Mass Atrocities Research »
More Persecution of Health Workers Research »
More War Crimes in Libya Research »

Featured Report

32nd Brigade Massacre: Evidence of war crimes and the need to ensure justice and accountability in Libya

This report, which combines medicine, forensic science, and eyewitness testimony to paint a stark picture of life and death in detention in Tripoli, provides a detailed and comprehensive forensic account of the 32nd Brigade massacre under Khamis Qaddafi on August 23, 2011 in Khalat Al Forjan, Tripoli. PHR’s investigation highlights the urgent need for Libya to establish due process, document crimes to the highest forensic standards, and acknowledge victim’s right to know the truth about their loved ones within a transitional justice process addressing grievances on all sides. Read More »

Featured Expert

Katherine

Katherine "Katy" Close, MD, MPH

Dr. Close is a board-certified Internist specializing in care for those without access to adequate medical care. She has worked throughout her career with the disadvantaged, in hospice settings and through free clinics. Read More »