Banjul, 21 November 2017
Following recent media reports on the sale of humans as slaves in Libya, IHRDA expresses dismay at the practice. This practice is in contravention of Article 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which stipulates that, “Every individual shall have the right to the respect of the dignity inherent in a human being and to the recognition of his legal status. All forms of exploitation and degradation of man particularly slavery, slave trade, torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment and treatment shall be prohibited.”
IHRDA calls on the Libyan Government and the African Union, including the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, to investigate the violations and take measures aimed at bringing the perpetrators to justice, as well as ending the phenomenon.
