Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I propose to answer Questions Nos. 8, 36 and 57 together.

The Government remains gravely concerned at continuing reports of human rights violations being committed by armed militias in Libya. The situation in a number of detention facilities still under the control of militias is particularly worrying. As documented by the UN support mission for Libya, the international commission of inquiry on Libya and by Amnesty International in its most recent report, routine practices of ill-treatment, human rights abuses and torture continue to be reported.

The question of how to ensure effective disarmament of the militias and restore security in Libya has been a priority concern for the outgoing Libyan interim government. We welcome the recent decisions to place prisons under the direct authority of the judicial police and the steps being taken to provide adequate training to prosecutors and judges. However, more needs to be done to address the situation of the estimated 4,000 detainees who are still being held by militias and to ensure full accountability for violations of human rights which, it is alleged, have been committed in Libya since the onset of last year's historic changes. The rights of victims need to be safeguarded and not completely set aside as against the wider need to promote overall reconciliation within Libya. This may have some implications for a recent amnesty law which has been adopted and about which the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, expressed some concerns in his briefing to the UN Security Council on 2 July.

No one is under any illusion about the daunting scale of the challenges which Libya and its people face in rebuilding their country and in establishing effective institutions of government and accountability. A good start has been made over the past year and there is no doubting the commitment of the Libyan people to create a better future for their country in which human rights and the rule of law are fully respected. This was evident from the conduct of last weekend's elections which passed off peacefully and successfully and with a high turn-out of electors.

The next step will be for the new Libyan Government and parliament to oversee the drawing up and adoption of a constitution which respects and promotes human rights for all and which will guarantee gender equality in view of the significant role played by women during the ousting of Gadaffi. Ireland and its EU partners will continue to offer support to the new caretaker government in the complex transition from a repressive regime to a new, democratic and pluralist Libya.

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