A large number of offences, including political offences and economic “crimes” are punishable by death.

A large number of offences, including political offences and economic “crimes” are punishable by death.
The law mandates the death penalty for any person associated with a group opposed to the principles of the 1969 revolution, as well as for other acts such as treason and attempting to change the form of government by violence.
The "Green Book" of 1988 states that "the goal of the Libyan society is to abolish capital punishment;" however, the Government has not acted to abolish the death penalty, and its scope has increased.
The law also applies the death penalty to those who speculate in foreign currency, food, clothing, or housing during a state of war or a blockade, and for crimes related to drugs and alcohol (since 1996).
In recent years various UN bodies have expressed concern about the human rights situation in Libya where extrajudicial and summary executions continue to take place, the death penalty is imposed for economic and political crimes, arbitrary arrests are frequent, torture is used and the judiciary is not independent.
Information concerning death sentences and executions does not filter through.
Libya was known to have put six foreign nationals to death in July 2005. It was the first time in eight years that news of executions filtered through.
The last recorded executions before the July 2005 ones, were those of eight men put to death in January 1997. Colonel Miftah Qarrum al-Wirfalli, five other senior army officers and two civilians were put to death. They had been arrested in relation to an army uprising in 1993 and accused of espionage in favour of the United States and of belonging to the National Front for the Salvation of Libya, an opposition group in exile.