Human Rights Watch says Libyan justice system in 'state of disarray'

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- "Tainted" death sentences given to former regime officials illustrate the "state of disarray" in Libya's justice system, Human Rights Watch said Friday.

The rights organization said it was concerned about 16 death sentences imposed in the past year, including the July war-crimes sentences of Ahmed Ibrahim and Walid Dabnoon, two men allied with Col. Moammar Gadhafi before he was killed in the country's civil war in October 2011.

"These tainted sentences contradict Libya's commitment to uphold international fair-trial standards," Joe Stork, director of North African programs for the rights group, said in a statement from Beirut. "Given the number of people now on death row, and the general state of disarray in Libya's justice system, Libya should impose an immediate moratorium on capital punishment."