A/HRC/34/42 Support 54. UNSMIL/OHCHR has worked to directly support victims by intervening with the Government and other counterparts on individual cases and issues of concern and regularly briefing the international community. It has also analysed by-laws issued by the Civil Society Commission, the authority that oversees the operation of international nongovernmental organizations, and briefed Libyan officials and the international community on the lack of compliance of the by-laws with international human rights standards. 55. UNSMIL/OHCHR has regularly issued public statements on groups in focus, including on the assassination of Abdul Basit Abu-Dahab in March; the killings of four migrants from the Al-Nasr detention facility in April; and the establishment of a women’s support and empowerment unit by the Presidency Council in September. On World Press Freedom Day, UNSMIL issued a video and statement in support of journalists in Libya. It has organized or supported workshops for civil society, jointly with the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, the Heinrich Böll Foundation, Tunisian and Libyan organizations and United Nations partners. It also supported a workshop for the Department for Combating Illegal Migration on international standards that relate to migration and asylum. 56. It has been observed that essential support is usually lacking for the protection of media professionals, activists and human rights defenders, including financial support for persons at risk to leave and remain outside Libya until it is safe to return. Ongoing capacitybuilding for human rights defenders, particularly for women defenders, also remains a relevant need. V. Administration of justice A. Overview 57. International human rights law obliges States to ensure that any person whose rights are violated has access to an available, prompt and effective remedy. That is usually achieved through an appropriate legal framework and a functioning justice system. In Libya, the existing legal framework needs to be reviewed, to bring it into line with international human rights standards. However, in the current unstable environment, serious efforts at law reform are not possible. The justice system has faced ongoing attacks that have severely limited its functioning. From June 2012 to July 2016, UNSMIL/OHCHR documented 37 cases of attacks on judges and prosecutors. Political pressures at the local and regional level also impact the impartiality of the judiciary. 58. The inability of the justice system to function effectively has led to widespread impunity, particularly for abuses by armed groups. Despite the daily abuses, UNSMIL/OHCHR is unaware of any prosecution of armed group members or State officials for crimes related to abuses committed since 2011. On a positive note, despite the political divide and the fragmentation of State institutions, key bodies such as the Supreme Court, the High Judicial Council, the Prosecutor General and the Judicial Police (the prison service) remain united. B. The constitution 59. The elected Constitution Drafting Assembly met in March and April to finalize the draft constitution. On 23 March, the High Commissioner wrote to the members of the Assembly to urge them to strengthen the human rights provisions in the draft, in line with international standards. He emphasized the need to prohibit discrimination, including 11

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