Libya sentences 23 Isis fighters to death

A Libyan court sentenced 23 people to death for their role in a deadly Isis group campaign, including the beheading of a group of Egyptian Christians and seizing the city of Sirte in 2015.

The appeals court in Libya’s western city of Misrate on Monday also sentenced 14 others to life in prison in the same case, after they were convicted on the same charges, including damage to police facilities and public property.

The court awarded a 12-year prison sentence to one person and 10 years to another six, including three minors, reported Al Jazeera, citing the attorney general’s office. Five suspects were acquitted, while three died in the course of the trial, reported the outlet.

The accused included those from Palestine, Sudan as well as Libya. They were in custody since 2016 and were found guilty for joining the terrorist group and the murders.

Isis and other extremist groups exploited the chaos that engulfed Libya after the 2011 uprising that toppled and later killed long-time ruler Muammar Gaddafi. They seized the coastal city of Sirte, Gaddafi’s birthplace, and other cities, including Derna in eastern Libya.

The militants were eventually expelled from Sirte in December 2016 by forces fighting for the former UN-backed Government of National Accord – Libya’s interim government.

Forces of east-based commander Khalifa Hifter reclaimed Derna two years later.

Hundreds of alleged former Isis fighters remain incarcerated in Libyan prisons, many of whom are awaiting trial.

“As lawyers for the victims’ families, we see the verdict of the court as very satisfying and very just,” said Lotfi Mohaychem, the advocate representing families of anti-Isis fighters killed in the battle for Sirte.

“The court sentenced those whose guilt was demonstrated and acquitted those against whom there was insufficient evidence,” he told AFP.

Additional reporting by agencies