{"id":8666,"date":"2026-04-25T00:42:14","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T22:42:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hrsly.com\/?p=8666"},"modified":"2026-04-25T00:42:16","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T22:42:16","slug":"human-rights-solidarity-organization-serious-violations-committed-under-the-pretext-of-combating-sorcery-and-witchcraft-in-libya","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hrsly.com\/en\/human-rights-solidarity-organization-serious-violations-committed-under-the-pretext-of-combating-sorcery-and-witchcraft-in-libya\/","title":{"rendered":"Human Rights Solidarity Organization: Serious violations committed under the Pretext of \u201cCombating Sorcery and Witchcraft\u201d in Libya"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Human Rights Solidarity (LHRS): \u201cAnti\u2011Sorcery\u201d Campaign Led to Serious Abuses and Paved the Way for Law No. 6 of 2024<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tripoli \u2013 The Human Rights Solidarity Organization (LHRS) expresses deep concern over the serious human rights violations committed in Libya since 2020 under the pretext of \u201ccombating sorcery and witchcraft.\u201d These violations include warrantless raids, arbitrary arrests, public humiliation, targeting of women and migrants, and the direct involvement of religious authorities in law enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LHRS affirms that this campaign, driven by parallel security units and religious bodies, constituted a systematic effort to shape public opinion, culminating in the adoption of Law No. 6 of 2024, which legitimizes harsh punishments and grants broad discretionary powers to non\u2011judicial bodies, in clear violation of international fair\u2011trial standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LHRS calls for the immediate suspension of the law, an independent investigation into the documented abuses, protection of vulnerable groups from false accusations, and an end to religious interference in judicial and law\u2011enforcement processes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ref: PRS 2026\/04\/1028<\/td>April 22, 2026<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Human Rights Solidarity Organization: Serious violations committed under the Pretext of \u201cCombating Sorcery and Witchcraft\u201d in Libya<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Background of the\u00a0<\/strong>\u201cCombating Sorcery and Witchcraft\u201d<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Since 2020, Libya has witnessed an unprecedented escalation in campaigns targeting what has been labeled \u201csorcery and witchcraft,\u201d led by parallel security units, police departments, and religious bodies with significant influence, particularly in the eastern region where the Madkhali group dominates the religious establishment. These campaigns adopted an intertwined religious\u2011security character, beginning with explicit fatwas permitting the killing of alleged \u201csorcerers\u201d without trial, and evolving into night raids, arbitrary arrests, and orchestrated media campaigns designed to generate moral panic within society. Social media played a central role in amplifying the phenomenon through videos of cemetery raids, burning of amulets, and the public display of coerced \u201cconfessions\u201d, all in the absence of judicial oversight or legal safeguards. Over time, these campaigns became tools for social control, settling scores, and expanding the influence of certain religious group within security institutions, both in the east and west, ultimately pressuring the House of Representatives to adopt a Law on Criminalizing Sorcery, Witchcraft, and Divination in January 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    1. Summary of Documented Violations<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      Media reports and field materials collected since 2020 reveal a series of serious violations committed under the pretext of \u201ccombating sorcery and witchcraft\u201d. Security units in eastern Libya carried out repeated raids on homes and cemeteries, arresting individuals of various nationalities, including women and migrants, without warrants or due process. The \u201cHigh Committee for Fatwa\u201d issued a religious edict permitting the killing of alleged \u201csorcerers\u201d by sword, encouraging extrajudicial actions and public humiliation. Religious figures appeared alongside security officers during interrogations, reflecting the fusion of religious authority with law enforcement. Reports also documented decisions by security units to ban women from visiting cemeteries on the grounds of \u201cpreventing sorcery,\u201d treating their mere presence as grounds for suspicion\u2014an explicit violation of freedom of movement and privacy. In western Libya, security forces added \u201csorcery\u201d to criminal charges alongside kidnapping and theft, arresting groups of foreign workers without material evidence. The widespread social belief that psychological or behavioral disorders are caused by sorcery contributed to false accusations and arbitrary detentions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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      1. Pattern Analysis<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        These violations reveal a systematic pattern that goes far beyond isolated incidents, reflecting an organized campaign with clear political and social objectives. First, there is a recurrent methodology<\/strong> involving warrantless raids, detention without trial, coerced confessions, and the public dissemination of videos designed to instill fear. Second, the campaign disproportionately targeted vulnerable groups<\/strong>, including women, migrants, foreign workers, and individuals with mental health conditions\u2014people who lack social protection and are easily accused. Third, the campaign involved humiliating practices<\/strong>, such as filming detainees, burning their belongings, and publicly labeling them as \u201csorcerers\u201d without evidence, violating their dignity and the prohibition of cruel treatment. Fourth, the campaign served a political and social function<\/strong>, enabling religious groups to expand their influence within security institutions and present themselves as guardians of \u201cpublic morality,\u201d at a time when the country faced severe economic and governance crises. The campaign also diverted public attention from pressing issues such as corruption, electricity shortages, and the collapse of public services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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        1. Link to Law No. 6 of 2024 on Criminalizing Sorcery, Witchcraft, Divination, and Similar Acts<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          Evidence indicates that the violations committed since 2020 were not isolated events but constituted a preparatory phase<\/strong> aimed at shaping public opinion to accept an extremely punitive legal framework. The campaign began with fatwas permitting killing, followed by raids and arrests, then large\u2011scale media promotion, culminating in the submission of a draft \u201cSorcery Punishment Law\u201d by the religious endowments authorities in Benghazi and Tripoli to the House of Representatives. Members of Parliament stated that the law was adopted in response to \u201cnumerous complaints\u201d, complaints that emerged within the context of a campaign orchestrated by religious and security actors. Thus, Law No. 6 of 2024 cannot be understood in isolation from these violations; it represents the legislative embodiment<\/strong> of a socially engineered moral panic rather than a response to a genuine criminal phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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          1. Legal Characterization<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

            The violations committed under the \u201canti\u2011sorcery\u201d campaign constitute clear breaches of Libya\u2019s international human rights obligations. They violate Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)<\/strong> prohibiting arbitrary arrest, Article 7<\/strong> prohibiting torture and cruel treatment, and Article 14<\/strong> guaranteeing the right to a fair trial. They also violate the Convention Against Torture (CAT)<\/strong> through coerced confessions and denial of basic safeguards. These practices contravene the African Charter on Human and Peoples\u2019 Rights<\/strong>, particularly provisions on human dignity, personal liberty, and non\u2011discrimination. Fatwas permitting killing without trial amount to incitement to violence and fall under extrajudicial, summary, or arbitrary executions<\/strong>, prohibited under customary international law. Law No. 6 violates the principle of legality, authorizes disproportionate punishments, and grants excessive discretionary power to non\u2011judicial bodies, placing it in direct conflict with international standards of due process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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            1. Conclusion<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

              Human Rights Solidarity Organization (LHRS) affirms that the \u201canti\u2011sorcery\u201d campaign that began in 2020 has resulted in serious human rights violations, including arbitrary arrest, torture, deaths while in custody, public humiliation, targeting of women and migrants, and the involvement of religious authorities in law enforcement. Law No. 6 of 2024 provides a legislative cover for these abuses rather than addressing or preventing them, posing a direct threat to the rule of law, the rights of defendants, and fundamental freedoms in Libya. LHRS calls for the immediate suspension of this law, a comprehensive review of the legal and security framework surrounding the campaign, and the protection of all individuals from persecution based on beliefs, social status, or vulnerability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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              1. Recommendations<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n