A/HRC/17/44 195. Of the accounts received, Chadian nationals seemed to be particularly targeted, suspected of being mercenaries. It was reported to the Commission that isolated incidents were intended to convey a message, to the broader sub-Saharan African community, as to what would happen if they supported Government forces. 4. Violations committed by opposition groups164 196. The Commission received several accounts of attacks on migrant workers carried out by armed opposition groups. The majority of the cases took place in the immediate aftermath of the opposition taking control of Benghazi on 19 February. 165 In one case, it was reported that on 19 February armed supporters of the opposition took one of the persons “arrested” as a suspected mercenary and hung him by his feet, pulling him out of the window of the court house in Benghazi and hitting him with weapons and machetes. 166 Another case reported to the Commission related to the extrajudicial killing of five Chadian nationals who had been arrested on the basis of their nationality, and taken to the military barracks in Benghazi. Dozens of armed persons either in military style or civilian clothing were said to have poured kerosene on their bodies and burned them to death on 21 February.167 A secondary source told the Commission that two Chadian nationals were victims of extrajudicial killing when they were shot by the sons of their employee who had joined the armed opposition forces on 21 February. 168 Another case of physical abuse and a mock execution of a Sudanese national was reported to have taken place on 24 February at a checkpoint in Misrata controlled by armed opposition forces. 169 197. There were a number of cases received in which the attacks were carried out by civilians with no affiliation in areas under the control of the opposition forces. Health practitioners in As-Sallum referred to the case of four Chadian nationals with gunshot wounds (from close distance firing) who reported that they had been attacked in Benghazi after having been accused of being mercenaries. 170 Health workers also reported that a Chadian worker had recounted that his brother and two colleagues were “slaughtered” in the outskirts of Benghazi. Apparently the four of them were taken by armed civilians by 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 56 This term “opposition groups” is being used to connote both supporters of the opposition in the period before an armed conflict was established, as well as the opposition armed group operating during the conflict. Given the preliminary view of the Commission in paragraph 55 of the present report, these cases may predate the date at which an armed conflict started nationally. However, they have been included in the report as, even if this is the case, the Commission notes the responsibility of Libyan Arab Jamahiriya under the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families to protect migrant workers and their families from attacks from private actors (see article 16, paragraph 2, of the Convention). Information received by an eyewitness of the incident reported to have happened on 19 February. The witness believes that the victim died as a consequence of the attack. Information received by an eyewitness who was with the group of arrested persons and was able to escape the incident reported to have happened on 21 February. The incident was reported to have taken place on 21 February on the main street of Guarsha, Benghazi South. The witness mentioned that the killing of the men was motivated by the general animosity towards sub-Saharan nationals who were believed to be mercenaries. It was reported that the incident occurred on 24 February, when the victim was leaving Misrata for Zliten. The cases were presented to the Commission by secondary sources which could not provide further details. Wounded persons arriving at the border were evacuated to other locations, meaning that they were not present at the transit point.