Omanghana
A video showing a woman receiving 100 lashes in the southern Libyan city of Sebha has provoked widespread criticism and prompted an investigation by the country’s Supreme Judicial Council.
The footage, which circulated widely on social media, shows a uniformed Judicial Police officer administering the punishment in a public area while the woman sits on the ground with her face and body covered.
Before the sentence was carried out, a man reportedly read a document presented as a ruling from the Sebha Criminal Court. The woman had been convicted of zina, a legal term referring to sexual relations outside a recognized marriage.
The sentence was imposed under Libya’s Law No. 70 of 1973, which provides for corporal punishment in certain cases involving sexual relations outside marriage.
The public nature of the punishment and the recording and distribution of the video generated condemnation from Libyan civil society organizations and international human-rights advocates.
Libya’s National Institution for Human Rights described the incident as a dangerous precedent and compared the public display to punishments previously carried out by extremist organizations, including ISIS and Al-Qaeda.
Rights advocates argued that flogging constitutes cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment and is incompatible with international standards protecting physical integrity and human dignity.
Concerns were also raised about whether the woman received adequate legal representation, whether all avenues of appeal had been exhausted and whether the sentence was implemented in accordance with established procedures.
The case has renewed scrutiny of the unequal effect that adultery laws can have on women. Critics questioned why the woman appeared to be punished alone and whether any man allegedly involved in the case faced a comparable investigation or sentence.
The Supreme Judicial Council has since ordered the Judicial Inspection Department to investigate the circumstances surrounding the execution, filming and publication of the punishment.
In its response, the council maintained that final court judgments are legally binding after all required procedures have been completed. It stressed, however, that sentences must be enforced in a manner that protects human dignity and preserves the authority of the judiciary.
The council said recording and publishing the enforcement of a judicial sentence on social media formed no part of the official process. It promised legal and administrative measures against anyone found to have violated applicable procedures.
Reports that participating officers were immediately imprisoned or suspended have not been confirmed in the Supreme Judicial Council’s published statement. The announced investigation is expected to determine individual responsibility and whether disciplinary action is warranted.
The incident has intensified debate over corporal punishment within Libya’s fragmented justice system, where rival administrations and security institutions exercise authority in different parts of the country.
Human-rights organizations are calling for a broader review of laws permitting flogging and other physical punishments. They argue that the investigation should examine not only the unauthorized filming of the sentence but also the legality, proportionality and human-rights implications of the punishment itself.
Source: Omanghana
