Lawyers for Justice in Libya (LFJL), REDRESS, DIGNITY and the World Organization against Torture (OMCT) provided these preliminary comments on the Draft Law Criminalising Torture, Enforced Disappearances and Torture in Libya, which was approved on 9 April 2013. The Draft Law attempts to criminalise three distinct crimes either fully (the first two) or partially (the third) recognised in international treaties: torture, enforced disappearances and discrimination. An issue of concern for the organisations is that by attempting to address these three significant human rights crimes in one piece of legislation, the law risks confusing or oversimplifying the specific obligations they impose. Another shortcoming in the law is the narrow definition of torture in it, which is not in accordance with the UN Convention Against Torture, to which Libya is a State party.
