08/03/2011

Adoption of the Report of the Working Group on Libya postponed

The adoption of the Report of the Working Group on Libya, initially scheduled on Friday 18 March, was postponed to the 17th Human Rights Council (HRC) session of June.

The decision was taken by the HRC Bureau on March 2nd following a Note verbale sent by the Permanent Mission of Libya to the United Nations in regards of the situation in the country.

On February 25th, the delegates of Permanent Mission of Libya had announced during the 15th Special Session of the Human Rights Council (HRC) on the "Situation of human rights in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya" that it was now no longer representing the Government but will instead "serve as representatives of the Libyan people and their free will".

On March 1st, the General Assembly decided to suspend Libya from the HRC for "for "gross and systematic" human rights violations because of President Muammar Al-Qadhafi's violent repression of peaceful protesters demanding his ouster" (UN News Centre).

Countries: Libya