Governments must ensure independent, impartial and effective investigations into allegations of torture and other ill-treatment, and implement measures to prevent these crimes. IMPUNITY States across the region continued to facilitate impunity for perpetrators of serious human rights violations, highlighting the failings of deeply flawed domestic judicial systems. In Egypt, impunity prevailed for crimes under international law and other grave human rights violations committed in 2023 or the past decade, including the unlawful killings in August 2013 of at least 900 people during violent dispersals of sit-ins by supporters of the ousted president Mohamed Morsi. Similarly, the investigation into the 2020 Beirut port explosion in Lebanon, which killed at least 236 people, remained suspended since December 2021 due to legal complaints filed against the investigation’s judges by politicians implicated in the tragedy. In Iran, no public official was held accountable for unlawful killings, enforced disappearance, torture and other ill-treatment, including rape and other forms of sexual violence, and other crimes under international law or grave human rights violations committed during 2023 or previous years. The international community failed to ensure accountability for human rights violations. In March, the UN Independent Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on Libya issued its final report, concluding that “there are grounds to believe State security forces and armed militia groups have committed a wide array of war crimes and crimes against humanity”. However, the UN Human Rights Council did not extend the FFM’s mandate. Concerns remained over the impartiality, independence, transparency and effectiveness of the investigations announced by the Tripoli-based Public Prosecution into the death and destruction following Storm Daniel, including examining whether the Libyan authorities and those in de facto control failed to protect the population’s rights to life. Governments must combat impunity by undertaking thorough, independent, impartial, effective and transparent investigations into human rights violations and crimes under international law, and bringing suspected perpetrators to justice in fair trials in civilian courts. 68 The State of the World’s Human Rights