04/28/2019 Libya (International Christian Concern) – On April 19^th, the Libyan Council of Ministers adopted a resolution which recognized the Ottoman Empire’s violence against Armenian Christians as a genocide. The genocide was commemorated by Libya on its anniversary of April 24^th.

This declaration took many in the Armenian community by surprise, as the country has no Armenian community and very few Christians. It immediately prompted questions of how to interpret a statement which appears to include Libya in the community of those who condemn the genocide of Christians.

Libya has not had a stable government since 2011, and is effectively ruled by two warring parliaments. The internationally recognized Government of National Accord based in Tripoli did not issue this statement. They are staunchly backed by Turkey, who refuses to recognize the Armenian Genocide and whose record on religious freedom is increasingly dismal. The Armenian Genocide resolution was issued from the second parliament, the House of Representatives based in Tobruk, which is backed by the Emirati and Egyptian governments. Tensions between the two Libyan governments has risen significantly this month.

For this reason, Armenian analysts are interpreting the resolution as a political tool used by Libya’s House of Representatives to aggravate Turkey. More broadly, the situation of Libya’s few Christians remains extremely challenging. A culture of impunity thanks to nearly a decade of civil war has opened channels for Islamic extremists to severely persecute any Christian they come across. ISIS’s beheading of 21 Christians in Northern Libya three years ago remains one the starkest examples.

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