Benghazi: On the anniversary of the disappearance of MP Siham Sergiwa, the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) expressed its solidarity with the huge number of victims of enforced disappearance and missing persons in the country. UNSMIL renewed its call for a full, independent, and transparent investigation into the disappearance of House of Representatives member Siham Sergiwa and for those responsible to be held accountable.

According to Libyan News Agency, the mission issued a statement noting that it has been six years since Sergiwa’s disappearance after armed men stormed her home in Benghazi and took her to an unknown location. Her fate remains unknown, and no party has been held accountable for her disappearance. The statement also highlighted the disappearance of other individuals across the country, including House of Representatives member Ibrahim al-Darsi, who has been missing since May 2024, with no serious investigation into his disappearance yet emerging.

The statement further indicated that recent discoveries of mass grave sites in Tripoli emphasize the systematic nature and scope of these violations. Several individuals who had disappeared in Tripoli were identified among the bodies found in facilities previously controlled by the Stabilization Support Apparatus and recently seized. These cases reflect the efforts of security agencies to silence dissenting voices across Libya.

In the statement, the mission expressed solidarity with the vast number of victims of enforced disappearance. It called on Libyan political and security leaders to end these practices, reminding authorities that arbitrary detention, abduction, torture, enforced disappearance, and death in custody are gross violations of human rights and may constitute international crimes. The Libyan authorities must ensure these practices cease immediately and that those responsible are brought to justice.