A/HRC/28/51 6. Religious minorities 36. In February 2014, the bodies of seven Egyptian Coptic Christians were found near Benghazi. Also, in February, over 30 Egyptian Copts were detained in Benghazi, allegedly tortured and asked to convert to Islam by Ansar al-Shari’a, before being released a few days later and deported to Egypt. 37. In October 2014, armed men looted and damaged the Othman Pasha Madrasa, which serves Tripoli’s Sufi community. In the same month, a group of gunmen stormed and vandalized the Karamanli Mosque. Days later, attackers attempted to vandalize the Darghut Mosque, but failed when local volunteers protected the building. 7. Civil society 38. Since the outbreak of violence in mid-2014, UNSMIL/OHCHR has received reports of civil society activists in Benghazi and Tripoli being threatened, abducted, unlawfully killed or having their homes looted or burned down. Individuals have been shot in the street while going about their routine, others have been threatened through social media and text messages. In one case, an activist was abducted shortly after he had been threatened on Facebook. One prominent human rights defender received text messages warning that his children would be abducted and killed if he did not stop his advocacy work. Known activists, Tawfik Bensaud, aged 18, and Sami al-Kawafi, aged 17, were killed in Benghazi on 19 September. In Derna, Usama al-Mansuri was killed on 6 October, apparently after publicly criticizing a declaration by armed groups in the town pledging allegiance to the socalled Islamic State. As a result, numerous human rights defenders have curtailed their activism, gone into hiding or left the country. 39. UNSMIL/OHCHR is in regular contact with human rights defenders, including those who have relocated out of the country as a result of attacks and intimidation directed against them, and has sought to support them through the provision of practical advice, the facilitation of contact with local non-governmental providers of aid, and ongoing monitoring and public reporting of their situation.9 8. Media professionals 40. Media professionals have been subjected to increasing attacks and abductions, which has limited freedom of expression and opinion and the dissemination of information. On 26 May 2014, Muftah Abu Zeid, the editor-in-chief of Berniq newspaper, was killed in Benghazi. On 8 October, Al-Mu’tasem al-Warfalli, a journalist with the Libya Al-Watan radio station, was shot dead in Benghazi. Television stations Libya Al-Aseema, Al-Ahrar, Al-Dawliya and Al-Wataniya have been attacked in Benghazi and Tripoli. A journalist who used to be based in Tripoli informed UNSMIL/OHCHR that he left the country after receiving death threats as well as threats against his family on social media. C. Administration of justice 1. Detention and conditions of detention 41. The situation of persons deprived of their liberty since the 2011 conflict remains a major concern. In October 2013, UNSMIL/OHCHR published a joint report on widespread torture, other ill-treatment and deaths of those detained in Libya.10 According to the 9 10 See www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=15168. See www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/LY/TortureDeathsDetentionLibya.pdf. 9