U.N. says torture a lingering problem in Libyan prison system GENEVA, Switzerland, Oct. 1 (UPI) -- U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said Tuesday she was alarmed by the level at which torture took place in Libyan detention centers. Pillay's office published an 18-page report Tuesday highlighting reports of torture in Libyan detention centers since civil war ended in 2011. The U.N. report said there were 27 documented cases of detainee deaths attributed to torture since late 2011. Eleven of those deaths took place in 2013 in prisons Pillay's office said were controlled by armed brigades. She expressed concern over the severity of the crisis, saying torture was "a key tool" used by the former government of late Col. Moammar Gadhafi. She said some of the armed brigades in de facto control over Libyan detention facilities freely admitted they were abusing prisoners. "Torture is illegal, under any circumstance, with no exceptions," Pillay said in a statement Tuesday. The report said most of the estimated 8,000 conflict-related detainees have limited access to lawyers or their families. The report notes Libyan authorities vowed to address the issue but Pillay said more work needs to be done. "There is an urgent need to renew efforts to prevent torture, investigate allegations of torture and prosecute those responsible," she said.