Libya
Death penalty and prisoners' rights · Archive since 1999
Data card
- Legal status
- Retentionist
- Executions recorded in 2026
- 0
- Executions recorded in 2025
- 0
- First news item in the archive
- JANUARY 1, 1999 · Premeditated murder, treason and offenses against the...
- News items in the archive
- 225
Source: Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026.
Libya is classified as Retentionist in the Hands Off Cain database, updated to 2026. In 2026 the association recorded 0 executions in the country, against 0 the year before. The archive holds 225 news items on Libya, from 1999 to today.
In Libya the death penalty applies to a wide list of offences and is administered within a fragmented institutional framework, with authorities and courts that do not recognise one another. The documented executions include both judicial sentences and killings carried out by armed groups.
The archive gathers what can be verified, and always names the source.
Latest news
- OCTOBER 17, 2005LibyaDEATH PENALTY
LIBYA. TRIPOLI REJECTS US DEMAND TO FREE BULGARIAN NURSES
Libyan Foreign Minister Abdel Rahman Shalgam rejected a call by US President George W. Bush for Tripoli to spare the lives of five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in May 2004.
- OCTOBER 8, 2005BulgariaDEATH PENALTY
COUNCIL OF EUROPE. PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY CALLS FOR RELEASE OF BULGARIAN AND PALESTINIAN MEDICS ON DEATH-ROW IN LIBYA
adopting in Strasbourg the report by British Labour MEP Tony Lloyd, the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly urged Libya to release, or at least guarantee a fair trial, to the five Bulgarian nurses and the Palestinian doctor accused of contaminating 4
- SEPTEMBER 30, 2005LibyaDEATH PENALTY
BULGARIA. BULGARIA SEEKS UN HELP TO FREE NURSES CONDEMNED IN LIBYA
Bulgaria asked the World Health Organization for help in securing the release of five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya being convicted of purposely infecting children there with HIV-tainted blood.
- AUGUST 11, 2005AlgeriaDEATH PENALTY
UNITED KINGDOM. DEPORTATION RISK FOR TEN PEOPLE ARRESTED FOR TERRORISM
ten foreign nationals considered to pose a terrorist threat were detained in the last 24 hours by British police, with the intention of deporting them to their home countries.
JULY 26, 2005LibyaDEATH PENALTYLIBYA. HUMAN RIGHTS GROUP CONFIRMS EXECUTION OF FOUR EGYPTIAN NATIONALS
The Libyan League for Human Rights has confirmed the execution, by firing squad, of four Egyptian nationals who, together with 11 other Egyptian expatriates, were "convicted" of "murder" by a Libyan court in 2004.
- JULY 18, 2005EgyptDEATH PENALTY
LIBYA. 4 EGYPTIANS EXECUTED
the Arab Centre for the Independence of the Judiciary and Legal Council, an Egyptian human rights group, said that Libyan authorities had recently executed four Egyptians on criminal charges.
- JULY 14, 2005LibyaDEATH PENALTY
LIBYA. TWO TURKISH NATIONALS EXECUTED FOR MURDER, TURKISH FOREIGN MINISTRY
two Turkish citizens were executed in Libya, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. ''Selim Aslan and Yunus Ozkan, who were sentenced to death in Libya as they were accused of committing murder in 1995, were executed today. We express condolences to their fam
- JUNE 14, 2005LibyaDEATH PENALTY
LIBYA. FAMILIES OF AIDS VICTIMS REFUSE COMPROMISE ON FATE OF DEATH ROW MEDICS
the families of child victims of an AIDS epidemic in a Libyan hospital refused to consider any compromise concerning the fate of six foreign medics facing death sentences over the tainted blood scandal.
- JUNE 8, 2005LibyaDEATH PENALTY
EUROPEAN UNION. EU SLAMS LIBYAN RULING ON TORTURE OF CONDEMNED MEDICS
the EU was "seriously concerned" by a Libyan court's acquittal of police officers accused of having tortured six foreign medics facing death sentence over an AIDS-tainted blood scandal, officials said.
JUNE 7, 2005LibyaDEATH PENALTYLIBYA. POLICE CLEARED OF TORTURING BULGARIANS
nine Libyan policemen and a physician were cleared of torturing five Bulgarian nurses to force them to confess to deliberately infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV.
MAY 31, 2005BulgariaDEATH PENALTYLIBYA. RULING DELAYED IN DEATH SENTENCE AIDS CASE
Libya's high court delayed a ruling on an appeal by six foreign medics sentenced to death for infecting hundreds of children with the AIDS virus. Judge Ali al-Allush said the case involving five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor, who have already
- MAY 29, 2005LibyaDEATH PENALTY
LIBYA. LIBYA READY TO COMPROMISE ON BULGARIAN MEDICS
the death sentences of the Bulgarian medics in Libya may be revoked if the interested parties manage to reach a consensus, the BBC cited Tripoli's foreign minister Abdel Rahman Mohammed Shalkam as saying after the visit of Bulgarian president Georgi Parva
- MAY 25, 2005LibyaDEATH PENALTY
EU. ENVOY PRESSES LIBYA OVER DEATH ROW NURSES
Benita Ferrero-Waldner, the European Union's external relations chief, met Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi to press for the release of five nurses from Bulgaria who were facing execution for allegedly infecting hundreds of children with the AIDS virus.
- MAY 23, 2005LibyaDEATH PENALTY
LIBYA. HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH SAYS COUNTRY’S RECORD IMPROVING
Libya has taken steps to improve its human rights record over the past year but serious problems remain, including the imprisonment of individuals without trial, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said.
- MAY 15, 2005BulgariaDEATH PENALTY
BULGARIA. PRESIDENT SAYS TO VISIT LIBYA OVER NURSES
Bulgarian President Georgi Parvanov said he planned to visit Libya to discuss the case of five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death over the infection of hundreds of Libyan children with HIV.
- MARCH 26, 2005BulgariaDEATH PENALTY
LIBYA. US TO SEEK RELEASE OF BULGARIAN NURSES
the US promised to do all it could to persuade Libya to free five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death on charges they injected the virus that causes AIDS into 400 children.
- MARCH 23, 2005BulgariaDEATH PENALTY
LIBYA. BULGARIAN NURSES' LAWYER VOWS TO HAVE DEATH SENTENCES OVERTURNED
Trajan Markovski, the lawyer of five Bulgarian nurses facing the death penalty in Libya for allegedly giving children AIDS-tainted blood, vowed to have their sentences overturned even though Libyan leader Moamer Gaddafi called them "murderers". "Despite a
- MARCH 18, 2005LibyaDEATH PENALTY
LIBYA. EU BACKS CAMPAIGN TO FREE BULGARIAN NURSES CONDEMNED TO DEATH
a European Union official backed Bulgaria’s attempts to secure the release of five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya for the infection of hundreds of children with the AIDS virus.
- MARCH 14, 2005BulgariaDEATH PENALTY
EU. LIBYA URGED TO RELEASE BULGARIAN NURSES
the European Union appealed to Libya to free the five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor condemned to death after being found guilty of infecting 426 children with the HIV virus
- FEBRUARY 17, 2005BulgariaDEATH PENALTY
a number of eminent personalities, including writer John le Carre, linguist Noam Chomsky...
a number of eminent personalities, including writer John le Carre, linguist Noam Chomsky...
- FEBRUARY 1, 2005BulgariaDEATH PENALTY
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy expressed the hope that...
Bulgarian Foreign Minister Solomon Passy expressed the hope that five Bulgarian nurses, sentenced to death in Libya, would return home in 2005
- JANUARY 24, 2005BulgariaDEATH PENALTY
Bulgarian parliament speaker Ognian Guerdjikov called on...
Bulgarian parliament speaker Ognian Guerdjikov called on European Union legislatures to help save five Bulgarian nurses sentenced to death in Libya in a scandal over AIDS-tainted blood.
- JANUARY 19, 2005LibyaDEATH PENALTY
“The future is democracy,” said Seif el-Islam el Gheddafi
“The future is democracy,” said Seif el-Islam el Gheddafi
- JANUARY 17, 2005LibyaDEATH PENALTY
five Bulgarian nurses on death row in Libya in a controversial AIDS case demanded...
five Bulgarian nurses on death row in Libya in a controversial AIDS case demanded...
- JANUARY 14, 2005BulgariaDEATH PENALTY
the European Commission renewed a call for Libya...
the European Commission renewed a call for Libya to act to secure the release of five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor sentenced to death in an AIDS-tainted blood scandal
- JANUARY 6, 2005LibyaDEATH PENALTY
“It is common knowledge that 83 political prisoners have been sentenced...
“It is common knowledge that 83 political prisoners have been sentenced...
- JANUARY 5, 2005BulgariaDEATH PENALTY
Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka held out hope...
Polish Prime Minister Marek Belka held out hope...
- DECEMBER 9, 2004LibyaDEATH PENALTY
the son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi ruled out the execution...
the son of Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi ruled out the execution...
- DECEMBER 6, 2004LibyaDEATH PENALTY
the Bulgarian government rejected a proposal by Tripoli
the Bulgarian government rejected a proposal by Tripoli
- DECEMBER 5, 2004BulgariaDEATH PENALTY
Libya said that it could review death sentences...
Libya said that it could review death sentences...