* Report says lawless militias trampling human rights
* Amnesty says government failing to intervene
* Militia impunity 'jeopardising Libya's future':report
TRIPOLI, Feb 16 (Reuters) - Libya's aspirations to
replace Muammar Gaddafi's repressive rule with a just,
democratic state are being undermined by armed militias who
trample on human rights and are outside the government's
control, Amnesty International said on Thursday.
The militias spearheaded the rebellion that ended Gaddafi's
42-year rule but they have so far refused to disband. With their
heavily armed units patrolling the streets, they have more power
on the ground than Libya's official rulers.
Amnesty said in a report that its researchers had documented
dozens of cases of militias committing war crimes, torturing
detainees and forcing whole communities to flee their homes.
It said Libya's interim leadership, the National
Transitional Council (NTC), had to date failed to assert its
authority over the militias by investigating the abuses.
"Militias in Libya are largely out of control and the
blanket impunity they enjoy only encourages further abuses and
perpetuates instability and insecurity," said Amnesty's
Donatella Rovera.
"A year ago Libyans risked their lives to demand justice.
Today their hopes are being jeopardized by lawless armed
militias who trample human rights with impunity."
"It is imperative that the Libyan authorities firmly
demonstrate their commitment to turning the page on decades of
systematic violations by reining in the militias," Rovera said
in a statement.
The NTC's ability to deal with the militias is limited
because, as an unelected caretaker administration still trying
to build a national police force and army, it is too weak to try
to crack down.
The militia leaders profess loyalty to the NTC, but analysts
say that they are using their military might as a bargaining
chip to ensure they get the influence they believe they deserve
in the new Libya.
In an interview with Reuters at the weekend, NTC chairman
Mustafa Abdel Jalil said a programme to integrate the militias
into national security forces was making progress, though it was
taking longer than planned.
Abdel Jalil also said that a committee had been set up to
investigate reports that militias were torturing detainees, and
that communities forced from their homes by the militias would
be allowed to return home eventually.
In its report, Amnesty said it had collected evidence of
widespread torture in militia-run detention centres. It said in
one case its researcher witnessed armed militia members kicking
an older detainee as he crouched against a wall.
The report said at least 12 detainees died from the abuse
since September last year. Their bodies were covered in bruises
and some had their fingernails pulled out, it said.
Amnesty said dark-skinned Libyans and immigrants from
sub-Saharan Africa were targeted by militia men because they
were suspected of having fought for Gaddafi during the conflict.
The mostly dark-skinned residents of Tawerhga, east of
Tripoli, had to flee their homes when militias from the nearby
city of Misrata swept in. They were seeking revenge for what
they perceived as Tawerhga's support for Gaddafi.
(Writing by Christian Lowe)
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