UN Urges Libyan Authorities to Release Abducted Activist Al-Areebi

The United Nations Libya mission (UNSMIL) has called on Libyan authorities to release political activist Al-Moatassim Al-Areebi, who was abducted in Misrata. His friend Mohamed Shtewi has been released but Al-Areebi's whereabouts remain unknown. UNSMIL has called for an urgent investigation and an end to arbitrary detentions.

In a recent development, the United Nations Libya mission (UNSMIL) has called upon Libyan authorities to release political activist Al-Moatassim Al-Areebi, who was abducted in the city of Misrata on Monday. According to UNSMIL, Al-Areebi was taken by armed men in civilian clothes along with his friend Mohamed Shtewi, who has since been released after allegedly being beaten.

UNSMIL has urged security and law enforcement agencies in Misrata to urgently investigate the abduction, reveal Al-Areebi's whereabouts, and ensure his immediate release. Misrata, a port city approximately 200 km east of Tripoli, is under the jurisdiction of the Tripoli administration, which has yet to comment on the incident.

UNSMIL also highlighted the ongoing issue of arbitrary detentions, enforced disappearances, ill-treatment, and deaths in custody in Libya, which has suffered from prolonged instability since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled leader Muammar Gaddafi. The mission has documented at least 60 cases of individuals detained across the country for their political affiliations.

(With inputs from agencies.)