Military courts in eastern Libya have convicted hundreds of civilians and sentenced 22 to death in “sham, torture-tainted trials” aimed at punishing critics of renegade commander Khalifa Hifter’s forces, Amnesty International said Monday.

“The use of military trials for civilians is a blatant smokescreen by which the LAAF (Libyan Arab Armed Forces) and affiliated armed groups are exerting their power to punish those who oppose them and instill a climate of fear,” said Amnesty International’s regional deputy director Diana Eltahawy.

Of the hundreds of civilians tried in military courts between 2018 and 2021, the London-based organization said the convicted include journalists, peaceful protesters and social media users who posted criticism of the LAAF or affiliated groups.

Amnesty International spoke with former detainees who alleged they had been abducted, held incommunicado, waterboarded and forced to sign false confessions. One man described being beaten and threatened with rape by an armed group that covered his face and poured water on him in a simulated drowning.