Rights chief addresses ‘endemic’ violations

The UN human rights chief has warned that serious violations were ‘endemic’ in many detention centres in Libya, but said he was ‘optimistic’ that authorities were intent on improving the situation. Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein, who became the first UN rights chief to make an official visit to Libya, has welcomed commitments he received from authorities to address a wide range of abuses. However, a report on the News24 site notes that he warned that ‘the human rights situation in Libya continues to be marked by widespread abuses and violations perpetrated by all sides to the conflict with complete impunity’.