LIBYA: 18 people executed by firing squad

Eighteen people including nationals of Nigeria, Chad and Egypt were executed in Libya after being convicted of premeditated murder, Libya’s online Qurina news website reported.

Of the 18, 14 were executed in the capital, Tripoli, while the four other executions were carried out in Benghazi. Their identities have not been made public by Libyan authorities.

"In the case of Libya, we fear that death sentences are handed down after proceedings which fail to satisfy international standards for fair trial," Amnesty International said.

More than 200 people are currently on death row in Libya, Qurina reported. "They are believed to include a large number of foreign nationals against whom the death penalty appears to be used disproportionately," Amnesty said.

"They are often not provided with interpretation or translation assistance during legal proceedings, which are conducted in Arabic, or access to their own government’s consular representatives," Amnesty added.

It said, "foreign nationals are also at a disadvantage compared to Libyans in seeking commutation of their death sentences because they generally have limited financial means and lack a family network in Libya that can assist them by negotiating with the family of their alleged victim."