Before joining the government, Imed Trabelsi led a militia, the General Security Agency, accused of being involved in mistreatment (torture, disappearances) of refugees and migrants. “He is seeking respectability as a minister,” said Jalel Harchaoui, a political analyst affiliated with the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies.
…
The morality police are supposed to be operational as soon as next month, even though the project, which has not gained the support of Prime Minister Abdel Hamid Dbeibah, is not backed by any law or official memorandum, as is sometimes customary in the country. However, Libyans are attached to legal procedures.
“What the minister mentioned about moral decay is an insult to Libyan society, as it is unnecessary to exaggerate the issue and present it as if it were a deep crisis. This is an incitement to sedition and a threat of excessive power use, which requires a legal framework,” said Ahmed Hamza, head of the National Commission for Human Rights.
Experts agree that this police crackdown could be a strategy to extend the government’s authority over the western territory. The country has been mired in significant instability since the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, with two rival administrations, one in the east and the other in the west, each having to contend with 140 tribes and clans.
