On Sept. 28, the US House of Representatives passed the Libya Stabilization Act. This bipartisan legislation requires the American president to impose sanctions upon foreign persons who provide “significant support to militia or paramilitary groups in Libya” in violation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1970. That resolution, often referred to as the Libya Arms Embargo, prohibits the transfer by foreign entities of military equipment and support into Libya.
The act also imposes sanctions on foreigners found complicit in gross human rights violations in Libya and calls for increased American assistance, including humanitarian and health assistance, democracy promotion, and strengthening Libya’s economic institutions. Finally, it authorizes the executive branch to investigate “assets taken from the people and institutions of Libya” and to expand cultural and educational exchange programs.
