The Human Rights Solidarity (HRS) organization has expressed deep concern about the civilians trapped inside Ganfouda district, Benghazi, since last Tuesday, adding that the HRS continues to exert efforts to know of their fate.

“Trapped civilians went out of Ganfouda holding white flags after one Dignity Operation armed brigade vowed to secure them out, but the civilians rushed back in when they were shot at from a close distance shortly after thy departed, leading to the death of a foreign worker and injury of one child and one woman.” The HRS said in a statement on Monday.

“The civilians went back to the besieged houses and called the HRS and the Libyan Red Crescent to enlist help and requested assistance from international organizations,” the statement added, indicating that all of the people who made it out of Ganfouda were taken by Dignity Operation forces to Al-Kuwaifiya Prison, then later the women were freed and the men remained in jail.

It explained that 30 families got out from Ganfouda along with 15 foreign workers as well as 64 prisoners from the Gaddafi regime, who were released by the Benghazi Shura Council on last Tuesday.

“We have talked to the UNSMIL and the local mediator, who talked to Dignity Operation leaders and then told us that the civilians who got out of Ganfouda will be treated fairly.” The HRS’s statement adds.

“We couldn’t talk to the people who got out in person despite all efforts.” It remarked.

The HRS attributed lack of communication with the civilians to the outage of mobile phone networks as well as to the fact that the Dignity Operation forces confiscated the cell phones of all the people who departed Ganfouda.

It also indicated that the residents of Ganfouda had to depart and go to the districts that are controlled by Haftar-led forces after almost a one-year-long siege and bombardment amid the negligence of the UN-proposed government’s Presidential Council and the lack of response to calls for a safe corridor via the sea for the trapped people.

HRS said it holds the Presidential Council - as it is the internationally recognized government that is responsible for protecting civilians - legally accountable for the war crimes and the crimes against humanity that are being committed in Ganfouda.