A woman has been publicly flogged in the southern Libyan city of Sabha after being convicted of “zina,” a legal and religious offence under Libyan law that refers to sexual relations between a man and a woman who are not legally married.
The punishment, reportedly carried out by the local Judicial Police branch, was captured on video and circulated widely on social media, drawing condemnation from human rights advocates.
In the footage, a man is seen reading what is described as a ruling issued by the Sabha Criminal Court, ordering that the sentence be carried out publicly. Moments later, a uniformed Judicial Police officer repeatedly flogs the woman, who remains seated on the ground with her face and body fully covered. Security vehicles are visible at the scene.
The incident has sparked outrage, with the National Institution for Human Rights in Libya (NIHRL), an independent civil society organisation, condemning the public punishment.
In a statement, the NIHRL described the incident as reminiscent of the practices employed by extremist groups such as the Islamic State, Ansar al-Sharia, and Al-Qaeda, calling it “a dangerous precedent.”
The organisation further alleged that the punishment violated legal procedures governing such sentences and questioned why only the woman was punished without any action reportedly taken against her alleged partner.
The NIHRL also accused the Sabha Criminal Court of ordering public floggings that disproportionately target women and called for respect for due process and human rights protections.
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