Libyan authorities have imposed “severe restrictions” on local and international civil society groups, obstructing their work in the war-scarred country, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said on Tuesday. “Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) and other authorities are cracking down on non-governmental domestic and foreign organisations,” the New York-based rights group said in a statement. The GNU, a nominally interim government based in the capital Tripoli, “should withdraw onerous registration and administration requirements and ensure that civic groups are free to operate,” HRW added. Libyan legislators and authorities must also “repeal the death penalty as a punishment for establishing or participating in unlawful organisations”, HRW said. “Libyan authorities are crushing civic space using the tired pretext of enforcing regulations,” said HRW’s Hanan Salah.
