The Libyan Minister of the Interior in Tripoli, Imad Trabelsi announced this week the restoration of a morality police which, among other functions, is responsible for imposing the veil on women and girls over nine years of age. His department insists that it is a necessary measure to reinforce the religious values and traditional of the local society.
Likewise, the Libyan authority stated in a press conference last Wednesday that this proposal will be accompanied by others such as prohibit interaction between men and women in cafes, stop import of some types of clothing that they consider inappropriate, or establish the figure of the male tutorso that women do not travel alone.
According to Trabelsi’s statements, personal freedoms and human rights are “European concepts“that “violate Libyan traditions and the Islamic religion.” He added that, those who wish to enjoy these rights, They must leave the country.
Thus, the agents of the moral brigade would be in charge of monitoring both the streets and social networks in order to arrest and prosecute people who allegedly violate “the values of Libyan society.” These restrictions are added to the initiative of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs which in 2023 launched a program of “Guardians of Virtue” to combat “religious, intellectual and moral deviations.”
The male guardianship system in Libya already requires women to seek authorization from a guardian, known as mahram which can be your father, brother or son to be able to get married or travel. In fact, the Internal Security Agency (ISA) last year introduced a mandatory questionnaire for them to justify their displacement without the presence of their guardian, facing harassment and intimidation of security forces at airports.
Non-compliance with human rights
Various civil society organizations have protested in favor of human rights. Amnesty International has rejected the possible establishment of these proposals, which it considers “not only worrying, but also constitute a violation of international law“.
The Libyan jurist, Muhammad Abdel Salampointed out that the Minister of the Interior “is not a legislative authority, but an executive authority” and that his proposals would violate “personal freedom and laws approved by Libyan legislation that should not be exceeded.” In the same sense, the director of the International Court of Justice for the Middle East and North Africa, Said Bernabia has denounced: “Instead of complying with international obligations, the authorities prefer to institutionalize gender discrimination, violate the human rights of women and perpetuate prejudice against women and girls“.
He also explained that this measure seeks exclude Libyans from public spaces and public life and forcibly confine them to the private sphere, which means “a large scale offensive“against the human rights of its citizens, including their rights to equalityfreedom of thought, conscience and religionexpression and movement among others.
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