Libya’s Leaders Admit Prisoner Abuse; Clerics Call for Disarmament

Libya’s new leaders admitted on Tuesday that some prisoners held by the revolutionary forces were subjected to abuse, but they insisted that it was not pervasive. This comes as the U.N. released a report detailing mistreatment of prisoners by forces that overthrew Muammar Gaddhafi, revealing that the rebels still hold around 7,000 prisoners without due process. Interior Minister Fawzy Abdul-Ali stated, ”We are trying our best to establish a legitimate system that is authorized to make arrests, detain and interrogate people…we are trying to minimize the possibilities of violations taking place.”

Meanwhile, Abdel Hakim Belhadj, head of an Islamist militia in Libya, endorsed the new government despite the fact that his supporters are being overlooked for top spots in the interim government. However, he refused to commit to a date to give up arms, while some Libyan religious leaders called on the government to disarm militias and form a national army. “We advise speeding up the process of establishing a national army and the collection of arms,” said a statement from the 250 imams and other clerics gathered for a conference in Tripoli.