Deputy President of Presidency Council in Press Conference: Crimes committed in Tarhuna Turned City into Mass Grave.

Tripoli, 25 October 2021 (Lana)  Deputy President of the Presidency Council, Musa Al Koni, held a press conference, which he started with a reference to the working session he held yesterday at the naval base in the capital, Tripoli, in the presence of a number of ministers, a member of the House of Representatives from Tarhuna, the mayor of the municipality, families of the victims and representatives of the commission Searching and identifying the missing as well as senior judicial, security, military, local and medical leaders, which focused on war crimes and crimes against humanity that the city of Tarhuna had witnessed during the various periods of conflict, and the ugliness exposed by the mass graves.

Al-Koni explained that what the city of Tarhuna was subjected to was a criminal aggression committed by people who were deprived of humanity, as corpses of innocent old men, women and children were uncovered in different parts of the city, and even included entire families.

"We do not want to politicize the issue of Tarhuna with the upcoming elections, but the bleeding that the city experienced has put responsibility of pointing to and paying attention to it on all of us, Al-Koni said.

Tarhuna has become a mass grave for the victims, especially since the perpetrators have disappeared from us, whether abroad or at home in a number of cities and regions", he said.

Al-Koni indicated that at yesterday’s meeting, there was a suggestion that the city of Tarhuna be declared a disaster city, and the setting up of special prosecutions and courts to try the perpetrators, but with a proposal from the Prime Minister, it was agreed to provide the city of Tarhuna with all that is given to disaster areas without calling them by this name.

The Deputy President thanked the people of Tarhuna, who had refrained from taking revenge and left matters to the official authorities, saying we want to give what happened in Tarhuna its right, and that the higher and lower authorities take it over, and that we seek the assistance of the international community to help us with equipment, devices, capabilities and expertise. The Attorney General did his duty in this regard.

Al-Koni announced that he had contacted the Polish ambassador in Libya, based on his country's experience in search and detection of victims, especially in the crimes of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Rwanda, which are no different from what happened in Tarhuna.

  Al-Koni said, He added, "The perpetrators are those inside and others abroad, and there are those who want to cover them up, but the hand of justice will reach them, just as the perpetrators were arrested in Bosnia despite their disappearance for many years."

Al-Koni stressed in the press conference that the Presidency Council has constantly called for light to be shed on this tragedy, which Libya has not seen before, and since yesterday all will take note of this crime, and we considered that Tarhuna is a mass grave.

=Lana=