The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein issued a statement on Tuesday calling on Libyans to renounce extremist thought and unite against radicals who target people on the basis of religion, ethnicity, nationality or political grounds.
The statement described the beheading of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians by the IS in Libya recently as a “vile crime targeting people on the basis of their religion.”
Hussein called on everyone, especially the people of Libya, to condemn the brutal incident which is prohibited by international law and Islamic law.
The statement referred to incident recorded by the UN human rights staff in Libya for the abduction and killing of Egyptian Copts over the past three years.
Hussein stressed that the Egyptian armed forces had to distinguish between militants and civilians during its air strikes on IS sites in Libya.
He pointed out that civilians have been suffering from the ongoing violence in Libya, most notably Coptic Christians, other minorities, migrants, journalists and human rights activists.
“The High Commissioner urged all parties in Libya to work towards a meaningful dialogue to bring to an end the current conflict, and in particular to engage constructively with the efforts of Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Bernardino León to advance an inclusive political process aimed at addressing Libya’s daunting political and security challenges,” the statement read.
The statement concluded saying that the only solution to the Libyan crisis involves upholding human rights, and respecting others faith, ethnicity or political affiliation.
