Source: www.persecution.org
Date: June 13. 2023
Libya (International Christian Concern) – A Libyan court sentenced 23 ISIS-Libya militants to death for their involvement in the 2015 insurgency centered on the city of Sirte on the Mediterranean coast in north-central Libya.
The court also sentenced 14 militants to life in prison and another 14 to multiple years in prison. Five militants were acquitted, and three more died before facing trial, according to a statement by the Libyan Attorney General’s office.
After NATO-backed rebels ousted longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in August 2011, the Libyan security situation devolved into chaos as rival factions vied to fill the power vacuum. Islamic extremist groups—including Ansar al-Sharia (the group allegedly responsible for the 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi)—worsened the political instability in Libya by forming a coalition against the transitional government known as Libya Dawn.
In 2015, ISIS-Libya—the largest contingent of the Islamic State outside Iraq and Syria—established a stronghold in eastern Libya and launched a high-profile attack in Tripoli leading to the abduction and beheading of dozens of Egyptian Christians.
Amid the ongoing conflict between rival political factions and Islamic extremist groups, Libyan Christians are particularly vulnerable to persecution, especially those from a Muslim background.
Earlier this year, International Christian Concern (ICC) reported on the arrest and deportation of American teachers accused of proselytizing Libyans Muslims.
HOW TO PRAY: Pray for justice for ISIS militants around the world. Pray for them to come to know Christ as their Savior. Pray for healing for all those affected by ISIS violence.