The public execution of an Egyptian man in a Libya football stadium illustrates "Libya's descent into lawlessness," said human rights watchdog Amnesty International. An amateur video, released on social media websites, purportedly shows the execution of Egyptian Mohamed Ahmed Mohamed in front of a large, cheering crowd on 19 August in the Eastern Libya city of Derna. The video shows a blindfolded man forced to kneel on a stretcher surrounded by armed guards, allegedly members of "armed group" the Shura Council of Islamic Youth. A statement was read out accusing Mohamed of murdering Libyan Khalid Al-Dirsi, and it is said he admitted to the crime during interrogation by Shura Council of Islamic Youth affiliate the Legitimate Committee for Dispute Resolution. A plain-clothed, unmasked man, said to be Al-Dirsi's brother, is given a handgun and kills Mohamed by shooting him in the back of the head, said Amnesty International. "This unlawful killing realises the greatest fears of ordinary Libyans, who in parts of the country find themselves caught between ruthless armed groups and a failed state," said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director. "This was an unlawful act of brutal revenge, not justice." The Libyan government has failed to assert its authority in the port city of Derna since the 2011 ouster of former president Colonel Muammar Gaddafi, said Amnesty International. "Over the past two years security officials, politicians, religious figures and judges have been victims of targeted killings in Derna. These crimes have yet to be fully investigated," said Amnesty International. Increasing violence across Libya has killed dozens of Egyptians, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has called on the nearly 1.6 million Egyptians living in Libya to evacuate. The foreign ministry and the Ministry of Aviation have assisted evacuation efforts on the western Tunisia-Libya border. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not return request for comment.
