Libya: UN calls for investigation into reports of prison torture

The UN Support Mission in Libya says it is alarmed by what it called '‘disturbing footage circulating on social media'', believed to show the torture of detainees at the Gernada prison in eastern Libya.

The facility is run by military personnel under Khalifa Haftar; Haftar supports the country’s eastern administration that rivals the UN-acknowledged government in the capital.

Critics of the eastern administration are known to be held in the prison, which is situated around 250 kilometres from Benghazi, the seat of the eastern administration.

Although the footage is unverified, the UN insists it matches up with patterns of human rights violations in detention facilities across the country.

The organisation is calling for an urgent investigation

Rights groups have long ccriticised abuses in Libyan detention centres, alleging widespread abuse and torture.

Neither Tripoli nor the eastern-based authorities have responded to the accusations or to the recent footage.