The environment for internet freedom in Libya remained repressive, as people continued to practice self-censorship or risk arrest and harassment for their posts on sensitive topics. Persistent obstacles to users’ rights included restrictive laws that imposed harsh penalties for online speech, a pattern of arbitrary detentions targeting peaceful expression, and some cases of physical violence in reprisal for online activity.

• A localized internet shutdown was reported in Tripoli in May 2025 amid antigovernment demonstrations. The protests, which spread to other major cities in western Libya, featured outbreaks of violence, and armed forces used live ammunition to disperse demonstrators who were calling for the resignation of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU).1 The internet shutdown lasted for around 12 hours, and while most service providers experienced only partial bandwidth reductions, at least one reported a total service outage (A3 and B8).2
• In July 2024, the GNU-affiliated Presidential Council issued Decision No. 14 to establish the Public Morality Protection Agency. The new body was given broad, vaguely defined powers to police social media for content that could be deemed immoral or harmful to Libyan values.3 According to human rights groups, the move threatened to infringe on Libyans’ freedom of expression online while also hindering online privacy and encouraging self-censorship (B4 and C5).4
• Journalists, bloggers, and activists continued to face arbitrary detention and enforced disappearances in retaliation for their online content. In January 2025, Faisal Rajab al-Shikhi was arbitrarily detained in Benghazi by armed men from the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF), a coalition of militias that controlled eastern Libya. According to the nongovernmental organization Libya Crimes Watch, he was forcibly disappeared because of a video he had posted years earlier on the social media platform Facebook that was critical of LAAF commander Khalifa Haftar. His whereabouts remained unknown at the end of the coverage period (C3 and C7).5

Libya has been racked by internal divisions and intermittent civil conflict since a popular armed uprising in 2011 deposed longtime dictator Mu’ammar al-Qadhafi. The country remains split between rival administrations, legislatures, and military factions, and international efforts to bring them together in a unity government have repeatedly failed, preventing long-overdue national elections. A proliferation of autonomous militias, the presence of foreign mercenaries and extremist groups, violations of an arms embargo, and interference by regional powers have all contributed to ongoing insecurity. More than a decade of violence has displaced hundreds of thousands of people, and human rights conditions have generally deteriorated.

This report has been abridged for Freedom on the Net 2025 due to ongoing budget constraints. Please consider making a donation to support future editions of this vital resource.

For additional background information, see last year’s full report.