BBC: African migrants in Libya are "living in constant fear", a report by UK-based Amnesty International says.
The campaign group said the North African country's record on human rights falls well short of efforts to repair its image in the world.
It documents indefinite detentions, flogging for adultery, the continued disappearance of dissidents, and the security forces' immunity from justice.
The report is partially based on a week-long visit to Libya in May 2009.
It was the first trip of its kind in five years, facilitated by the Gaddafi Foundation - run by one of the Libyan leader's sons, Saif al-Islam Gaddafi.
Analysts say he is keen to to liberalise the country, once a pariah state accused of promoting terrorism to threaten Western interests but now seen as a vital source of oil and gas resources and investment opportunities.
"If Libya is to have any international credibility, the authorities must ensure that no-one is above the law and that everyone, including the most vulnerable and marginalised, is protected by the law," Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty's Middle East and North Africa deputy director said in a statement.
"The repression of dissent must end," she said.
"Libya's international partners cannot ignore Libya's dire human rights record at the expense of their national interests." >>> | Wednesday, June 23, 2010
