Six Libyans face death penalty for converting to Christianity
Religious laws are increasingly being used to silence civil society and human rights groups, say activists
Six Libyans are facing the death penalty for
converting to Christianity and proselytising under laws increasingly
being used to silence civil society and human rights organisations, say
activists.
The women and men – some from
Libya’s minority ethnic groups, including the Amazigh, or Berbers, in
the west of the country – were separately detained in March by security
forces.
A
US citizen was arrested by Libya’s Internal Security Agency (ISA) last
month, but was released and is understood to have left the country.
The six Libyans have been charged under article 207 of the penal code,
which punishes any attempt to circulate views that aim to “alter
fundamental constitutional principles, or the fundamental structures of
the social order”, or overthrow the state, and anyone who possess books,
leaflets, drawings, slogans “or any other items” that promote their
cause.
The ISA said in a statement that the arrests were
to “stop an organised gang action aiming to solicit and to make people
leave Islam”.
A lawyer for one of the detainees
said their families discovered they had been arrested when videos of
their confessions were posted online by the ISA.
One
of the videos showed Seyfao Madi, an engineer and father of one child,
confessing that he converted to Christianity in 2017 and had tried to
convert others.
His face unclear in the video,
Madi said: “I was born in 1977 and I was arrested by the Internal
Security Unit for converting to Christianity. I joined a group of
Libyans and foreigners inside Libya calling and circulating for
Christianity.
“In 2016 my friend introduced me
to other friends, among them a Christian from the US. We talked and
discussed … then I converted the next year and he baptised me.”
His lawyer, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, said he renounced his Christian faith under torture.
According
to the human rights organisation Humanists International, Libya’s
legislation is largely based around religion. An interim constitution,
written after the ousting of former leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011,
guarantees non-Muslims the freedom to practise their faith.
However,
continuing political fighting between the internationally backed
Islamist government in Tripoli and the secular government in Tobruk
means the constitution has been suspended.
“There has been an increase in the usage of
article 207 against civil society activists and international
organisations in Libya over the last year,” said Noura Eljerbi, a human
rights activist who was forced into exile after receiving death threats
for her work.
“Even now I keep being threatened
for only defending freedom of beliefs. Society doesn’t accept
discussions about freedom of beliefs.
“Before the arrest of those people, there was a fierce campaign against them on social media led by former regime supporters.”
Last
year, seven activists were arrested by the ISA for alleged atheism. Two
of them were released but the rest of the group are still behind bars.
A
number of Libyan human rights activists have been killed or have had to
flee the country. Those who remain work undercover for safety.
