HRW: libyan envoy tortured to death

Photos of the body of the former Libyan envoy to France depict wounds that suggest he was tortured to death by Libyan militias, a rights group said. Omar Brebesh, the former envoy who was working for the Libyan Foreign Ministry, was apprehended Jan. 19 and apparently died less than 24 hours later, Human Rights Watch said. "The torture and killing of detainees is sadly an ongoing activity by some Libyan militias," Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. An autopsy report viewed by Human Rights Watch said Brebesh likely died from "multiple bodily injuries," including fractured ribs. A photograph of his body indicated several welts and missing toe nails, which Human Rights Watch said, suggested he was tortured to death. His son indicated Brebesh submitted voluntarily to an investigation by Libyan militias operating near Tripoli. The International Committee of the Red Cross estimates around 8,500 detainees are held by militias with "informal relationships" with the government. "These abusive militias will keep torturing people until they are held to account. Libya's leaders should show the political will to prosecute people who commit serious crimes, regardless of their role in the uprising," Whitson said.