Ahmad 
The city of Tarhuna, southeast of the Libyan capital, Tripoli, has been witnessing a state of turmoil and tension for months after MP Hassan Al-Farjani Salem was detained by the Special Deterrence Forces.
Large crowds of the city’s residents launched protest marches demanding the immediate and unconditional release of the MP, holding the Presidential Council and the expired Dbeibeh government fully responsible for his safety.
The crisis began on February 27, 2023, when Al-Farjani was kidnapped in front of the headquarters of the “Administrative Control Authority” in Tripoli. Since then, Al-Farjani has been placed in Mitiga prison, where he is being held arbitrarily and isolated from the outside world. Despite a decision by the Attorney General to release him unconditionally, his detention continued without legal justification.
The people of Tarhuna expressed their deep dissatisfaction with the continued detention of MP Al-Farjani, also denouncing the arrest of his brother and cousin during their visit to him at the Military Prosecution headquarters.
The presidential statement, the Dbeibeh government, and the Military Prosecutor General Organization held them fully responsible for the safety of the detainees, calling on all concerned parties, tribal sheikhs, local and international human rights organizations, and the UN mission to urgently intervene to release Al-Farjani.
For its part, Amnesty International joined the voices calling for the release, accusing the Special Deterrence Forces of committing crimes of kidnapping and arbitrary detention against the MP.
The organization stated in a strongly worded statement that it is deeply concerned about Al-Farjani’s continued incommunicado detention, holding the Special Deterrence Forces responsible for his arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearance.
The House of Representatives had previously condemned the kidnapping of Al-Farjani, noting that it constitutes a violation of parliamentary immunity. In its statement No. 2 of 2023, the Council called on the Attorney General to take the necessary legal measures to uncover the perpetrators and bring them to justice and stressed the need for the MP’s immediate release.
At the international level, Al karama referred the case of Al-Farjani and his brother Mohamed Salem to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on 10 July 2024, noting that the Special Deterrence Forces had arrested them at the Mitiga base, a detention center considered to be outside the law.
Al-Farjani was transferred to M Mitiga from the moment of his abduction and remained in detention without contact with the outside world for more than two months, and was not allowed a family visit until 9 May 2023, and contact with him was stopped again since March 2024.
During a hearing at the Farnaj Military Court on 22 May 2023, he was informed of the charges against him, which included “joining a criminal gang” without specific details, and despite the Public Prosecutor’s request for his release, the court continued to detain him under pressure from the militias.
The violations also included his brother, Mohamed Salem, who was arrested on September 31, 2023, while attending his brother’s trial. Mohamed Salem was detained in Mitiga prison in harsh conditions and showed signs of beatings during his first family visit on January 19, 2024.
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