On 2 April, Internal Security Agency (ISA) spokesman Salem Ghaith said in a press conference that the ISA in Tripoli had taken deterrent measures and closed the headquarters of a number of NGOs after monitoring their ‘transgressions’.
The ISA accuses these NGOs of engaging in ‘hostile foreign activities’. Their activities are considered a threat to Libya’s national security and sovereignty and its internal stability. The ISA claims that these NGOs have been exploiting the instability in Libya to further foreign agendas. Specifically, the NGOs are accused of participating in a plan to settle illegal migrants within Libya. They are also accused of financial irregularities, including money laundering and suspicious financial transfers. Some violated legal standards for medicine storage. Furthermore, according to the ISA, these NGOs are promoting ideas that contradict Libyan laws as well as religious and social values, including support for atheist ideology, and are involved in activities that are deemed to be against the demographic stability of Libya.
Médecins Sans Frontières trained Libyan doctors – in contradiction to the Islamic Law – to perform ‘safe abortions’. The International Relief Organization was licensed by the Civil Society Commission to provide support exclusively to public health facilities, but provided health services to illegal migrants without government authorization. The Norwegian Refugee Council provided food, clothing, medicines and other goods to migrants without a permission of the state. Terre des hommes provided financial services to illegal migrants and expatriate workers in an illegal way. Among the other NGOs having their offices closed or being investigated are CARE, the International Medical Corps, the Danish Refugee Council, and the Italian NGOs Inter SOS, ACTED, and Cesvi.
The ISA emphasizes that while many of these NGOs operate with licenses from the Libyan Civil Society Commission, they are still subject to Libyan law. The agency underlined that these organizations do not have diplomatic immunity. Passports of several NGO staff members were confiscated. Some foreign staff members have been asked to leave Libya. Six out of ten NGOs affected stopped their work in Libya entirely.
Seventeen ambassadors, primarily from European countries, have expressed serious concern about the ISA’s actions against NGOs and humanitarian aid workers.
In a letter to the agency, they labelled these measures as a persistent ‘crackdown’. The ambassadors warned that these actions could severely impact the delivery of vital humanitarian aid, particularly in areas like primary health care. They added that several organizations might have to suspend operations or leave Libya altogether. The ambassadors urged the agency to promptly allow humanitarian organizations to reopen their offices and safely resume their activities. They emphasized the importance of respecting humanitarian principles and ensuring continued support for those in need.