The High Council of State condemned the Administrative Oversight Authority’s organization of “an awards ceremony that included figures associated in the Libyan collective memory with a period of repression and tyranny, foremost among them those implicated in carrying out death sentences by hanging against young Libyans—tragic scenes that remain etched in the conscience of the Libyan people.”

The council held the Authority’s Chairman, Abdullah Qadarbouh, “fully responsible for organizing the ceremony and the grave insult it inflicted on the victims of those crimes and their families, as well as for belittling the sacrifices of Libyans who fought for freedom, dignity, and an end to eras of injustice and tyranny,” according to a statement on its official Facebook page.

A violation of transitional justice priorities

The statement affirmed that what occurred constitutes a “flagrant violation” of transitional justice priorities and the principles of national reconciliation, and an “unacceptable attempt to whitewash symbols of oppression, which undermines trust in state institutions and undermines the principles of the February 17 Revolution.”

The council emphasized that building a state governed by the rule of law “is not achieved by honoring those involved in crimes of repression, but rather by establishing justice, fairness, and ending impunity,” calling on all state institutions to “respect the memory of Libyans and adhere to the values and national principles of the revolution.”

Honoring Members of the Gaddafi Regime During the Administrative Control Authority Ceremony

On Wednesday, the Administrative Oversight Authority organized a ceremony marking 55 years since the publication of its annual reports and 76 years since its founding at the Rixos Convention Center in Tripoli. The event honored figures who served as heads of the Authority during Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, namely members of the “Revolutionary Committees” Abdulqader al-Baghdadi, Ammar al-Taif, Muhammad Hijazi, and Husni al-Wahishi, as well as Huda Bin Amer, who headed the Authority from 2010 to 2011.

After the Commission posted a video clip of the ceremony, Libyan social media pages circulated old photos and clips of Bin Amer, along with posts about her role in acts of repression during the 1980s.

However, the most striking image is the one showing Ben Amer pulling down the body of aeronautical engineer Al-Sadek Hamed Al-Shuwehdy, who was hanged in Benghazi on June 5, 1984, considered one of the most shocking scenes during the era of Muammar Gaddafi.