Libya to compensate wrongly imprisoned citizens

TRIPOLI - Libya will pay compensation to its citizens who have been wrongly imprisoned by authorities, a ministry statement said.

“Those who were released after being detained by authorities in connection with various security cases, including convicts who were still imprisoned after the expiry of their sentences, prisoners who were detained but later acquitted and people who were detained without trial… will be eligible to cash compensation payments,” Xinhua quoted the justice ministry as saying in the statement.

Local media reports said ex-prisoners would receive payment ranging between 1,000 and 2,000 Libyan dinars ($790 to 1,580) for each month of imprisonment.

The first batch of prisoners to get compensation would be former members of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), the Oea newspaper reported.

Libya in March released 214 prisoners, including three top leaders of the LIFG, from prison after they renounced violence. So far, a total of 705 prisoners have been freed from jail.