Migrants describe being tortured and raped on perilous journey to Libya
5 years, 2 months ago

Migrants describe being tortured and raped on perilous journey to Libya

CNN  

CNN — A small blue boat with an outboard motor bobs on the waves of the open sea. The sailors prepare to throw a rope to the boat, but several men on board shout back, in Arabic: “We don’t want it.” “You don’t want it?” asks one of the sailors. Human rights organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, have criticized conditions at the detention centers and blame EU policies for contributing “to the abuse of migrants in Libya.” But the EU, driven by differences between member states, has not changed its policy regarding migrants in Libya despite its glaring shortcomings. “The EU is providing support to the Libyan Coast Guard to enable it to intercept migrants and asylum seekers at sea after which they take them back to Libya to arbitrary detention, where they face inhuman and degrading conditions and the risk of torture, sexual violence, extortion, and forced labor.” Laki traveled from Somalia to war-torn Yemen and then went through Sudan before finally arriving in Libya. The UN has repeatedly urged Libyan authorities to release detained migrants, and said they had “serious concerns” about their safety and conditions amid the ongoing conflict in the country.

Europe Mediterranean Yemen Cnn Coast Migrants Libyan Libya Guard Raped Mona Somalia Tripoli Detention Centers Gna  somalia  guard  detention  centers  perilous  libyan  journey  migrants  tortured  raped  libya  coast  eu

History of this topic

Armed men in speedboats make off with women and children when a migrants’ dinghy deflates off Libya
1 month, 1 week ago

Armed men in speedboats make off with women and children when a migrants’ dinghy deflates off Libya

Associated Press  

MILAN — Armed men in two speedboats took off with women and children after a rubber dinghy carrying some 112 migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean Sea started deflating off Libya’s coast, a humanitarian aid group said Friday. Dozens of men and boys who were aboard the overcrowded dinghy jumped into the sea, Doctors Without Borders said. One speedboat had …

Militia detains 300 migrants in the desert in Libya’s effort to contain sea crossings
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Militia detains 300 migrants in the desert in Libya’s effort to contain sea crossings

Associated Press  

TRIPOLI, Libya — Libyan military officials said Monday they apprehended hundreds of migrants traversing the country’s vast desert hoping to ultimately cross the Mediterranean Sea in pursuit of a better life in Europe. The 444 Brigade, a powerful militia group that operates under the auspices of the Libyan army, said in a statement that its patrolling commanders detained more than …

Libya’s coast guard intercepts 64 Europe-bound migrants, days after a deadly shipwreck
4 months ago

Libya’s coast guard intercepts 64 Europe-bound migrants, days after a deadly shipwreck

Associated Press  

CAIRO — Libya’s coast guard intercepted dozens of Europe-bound migrants on a boat and returned them to shore, authorities said Saturday, a few days after a shipwreck off the North African country left nearly two dozen dead or missing. The boat was carrying 64 migrants and was intercepted Friday off the northwestern town of Sirte, according to the town’s coast …

The EU’s border agency has a duty to inform Libya’s coast guard about migrant boats, official says
10 months ago

The EU’s border agency has a duty to inform Libya’s coast guard about migrant boats, official says

Associated Press  

BRUSSELS — The European Union’s border and coast guard agency has a duty to inform Libyan authorities about migrant boats in trouble in the country’s waters and will keep doing so, the head of Frontex insisted Tuesday, after a charity accused Libya’s coast guard of threatening its crew during a rescue. German charity SOS Humanity said the Libyan coast guard …

Over 60 drown in a migrant vessel off Libya while trying to reach Europe, UN says
1 year ago

Over 60 drown in a migrant vessel off Libya while trying to reach Europe, UN says

Deccan Chronicle  

Cairo: A boat carrying dozens of Europe-bound migrants capsized off the coast of Libya, leaving more than 60 people, including women and children dead, the U.N. migration agency said. Saturday's shipwreck was the latest tragedy in this part of the Mediterranean Sea, a key dangerous route for migrants seeking a better life in Europe, where, according to officials, thousands have …

More than 60 people drown after a migrant vessel capsizes off Libya, U.N. says
1 year ago

More than 60 people drown after a migrant vessel capsizes off Libya, U.N. says

LA Times  

A boat carrying dozens of migrants trying to reach Europe capsized off the coast of Libya, leaving more than 60 people dead, including women and children, the U.N. migration agency said. The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration said in a statement late Saturday that the boat was carrying 86 migrants when strong waves swamped it off the town of …

A Libyan court jails 38 human traffickers over the deaths of 11 Europe-bound migrants at sea
1 year, 5 months ago

A Libyan court jails 38 human traffickers over the deaths of 11 Europe-bound migrants at sea

Associated Press  

CAIRO — A court in eastern Libya sentenced five people to life in prison after they were convicted of human trafficking over the deaths of 11 migrants who were on a rickety boat trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe, the office of Libya’s chief prosecutor said Monday. The court in the city of Bayda also sentenced nine other defendants …

A Libyan court sentences 3 people to prison terms over human trafficking
1 year, 6 months ago

A Libyan court sentences 3 people to prison terms over human trafficking

Associated Press  

CAIRO — A court in the Libyan capital sentenced three people to harsh prison terms on charges of human trafficking, in a first such ruling in a North African nation where migrants are routinely mistreated. The Criminal Court of Tripoli convicted the three of human trafficking, detaining, and torturing migrants, and extorting their families to pay ransom to release their …

Rescue groups say Malta coordinated the return of 500 migrants to Libya instead of saving them
1 year, 7 months ago

Rescue groups say Malta coordinated the return of 500 migrants to Libya instead of saving them

Associated Press  

BARCELONA, Spain — A group of non-governmental organizations dedicated to rescuing migrants in the central Mediterranean is accusing the European island nation of Malta of coordinating the return of around 500 people to Libya where they were subsequently imprisoned, in violation of international maritime law. Migrants aboard the vessel shared their GPS location with Alarm Phone showing they were in …

Group: 22 Syrian migrants on hunger strike in Libyan prison
1 year, 10 months ago

Group: 22 Syrian migrants on hunger strike in Libyan prison

Associated Press  

CAIRO — At least 22 Syrian migrants detained for more than five months in Libya began a hunger strike Monday to demand their release, a Libyan rights group said. The group of migrants included three minors and have been held in a prison in the western town of Zawiya in appalling conditions, the group Belaady said. The migrants arrived in …

A new Libyan force emerges, accused of abusing migrants
2 years, 5 months ago

A new Libyan force emerges, accused of abusing migrants

Associated Press  

CAIRO — The Moroccan man had been stopped before at sea in his multiple attempts to cross the Mediterranean from Libya to Europe. The SSA, an umbrella group of militias, has risen to become one of the main forces carrying out Libya’s European Union-aided effort to stop migrants from crossing to European shores. More than a dozen migrants interviewed by …

A new Libyan force emerges, accused of abusing migrants
2 years, 5 months ago

A new Libyan force emerges, accused of abusing migrants

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The SSA, an umbrella group of militias, has risen …

Migrant abuses continue in Libya. So does EU border training
2 years, 11 months ago

Migrant abuses continue in Libya. So does EU border training

Associated Press  

BRUSSELS — A confidential European Union military report calls for continuing a controversial EU program to train and equip Libya’s coast guard and navy despite growing concerns about their treatment of migrants, a mounting death toll at sea, and the continued lack of any central authority in the North African nation. Compiled by Italian navy Rear Adm. Stefano Turchetto, head …

UN chief: Over 12,000 detainees held officially in Libya
2 years, 11 months ago

UN chief: Over 12,000 detainees held officially in Libya

Associated Press  

UNITED NATIONS — Over 12,000 detainees are held officially in 27 prisons and detention facilities across Libya and thousands more are held illegally and often in “inhumane conditions in facilities controlled by armed groups or `secret’ facilities,” the United Nations chief said in a new report. The U.N. chief said UNSMIL documented cases in the Mitiga prison facility and several …

Op-Ed: Climate migration will worsen the brutality and chaos on the Mediterranean
3 years ago

Op-Ed: Climate migration will worsen the brutality and chaos on the Mediterranean

LA Times  

Bangladeshi migrants making their way from Libya to Europe are rescued June 12 by the crew of the Geo Barents, a rescue vessel operated by Doctors Without Borders in the central Mediterranean. Since at least 2017, the EU, led by Italy, has trained and equipped the Libyan coast guard to serve as a proxy maritime force, whose central purpose is …

UN, US sanction Libyan official over human trafficking
3 years, 2 months ago

UN, US sanction Libyan official over human trafficking

Associated Press  

CAIRO — The United Nations Security Council and the United States have imposed sanctions on a Libyan official over the alleged abuse and torture of migrants in a detention center. The Security Council and the U.S. said in separate statements late Tuesday that Osama al-Kuni is the de facto head of a detention center in the North African nation’s west. …

Ransomed and beaten: Migrants face abuse in Libyan detention
3 years, 2 months ago

Ransomed and beaten: Migrants face abuse in Libyan detention

Associated Press  

ONBOARD THE GEO BARENTS OFF LIBYA — Osman Touré was crying from the pain of repeated beatings and torture as he dialed his brother’s cellphone number. “They will kill me if you don’t pay 2,500 dinars in 24 hours.” Within days, Touré’s family transferred the roughly $550 demanded to secure his freedom from a government detention center in Libya. The …

Libyan detention centre guards kill six migrants amid crackdown
3 years, 3 months ago

Libyan detention centre guards kill six migrants amid crackdown

Al Jazeera  

The IOM says overcrowding at a detention centre in Tripoli had led to chaos. Guards at a Libyan detention centre have shot dead six migrants, the United Nations agency for migration said, amid an ongoing violent crackdown against refugees and asylum seekers. The International Organization for Migration on Friday said overcrowding at the Ghot Shaal detention centre in Tripoli had …

Libya’s migrant detentions tops 5,000 as crackdown continues
3 years, 3 months ago

Libya’s migrant detentions tops 5,000 as crackdown continues

Al Jazeera  

Amnesty International has called on Libyan authorities to release migrants and refugees including more than 200 children. The number of migrants and refugees detained in a major crackdown in western Libya has exceeded 5,000 people, including hundreds of women and children, according to a United Nations tally. According to the organisation, the crackdown was conducted by the “Public Security” militia, …

About 500 Europe-bound Migrants Intercepted off Libya, Say UN
3 years, 3 months ago

About 500 Europe-bound Migrants Intercepted off Libya, Say UN

News 18  

Libyas coast guard Sunday intercepted a wooden boat carrying around 500 Europe-bound migrants off the countrys shore, the U.N. refugee agency said. The migrants from Sunday’s interception were disembarked at an oil refinery point in the western town of Zawiya, a major launching point for migrants, according to the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR. On Saturday, the Libyan coast guard intercepted …

Libya detains 4,000 people in major anti-migrant crackdown
3 years, 3 months ago

Libya detains 4,000 people in major anti-migrant crackdown

Al Jazeera  

Hundreds of women and children among those detained during raids in Gargaresh town. “Unarmed migrants were harassed in their homes, beaten and shot,” the UN humanitarian coordinator for Libya Georgette Gagnon said. “We are hearing that more than 500 migrants including women and children have been rounded up, arbitrarily detained and are at risk of abuse and ill-treatment,” said Dax …

Ships rescue 190 Europe-bound migrants off Libya
3 years, 3 months ago

Ships rescue 190 Europe-bound migrants off Libya

Associated Press  

ABOARD THE GEO BARENTS — Two vessels rescued around 190 Europe-bound migrants, including women and children, off the coast of Libya, charities operating the vessels said Monday. Migrants waved to rescuers from a flimsy rubber dinghy at midday Monday before they were given life vests and transferred onboard the Geo Barents, a rescue vessel operated by the charity Doctors without …

Caught on camera: Libyan coast guard shoots at migrant boat
3 years, 6 months ago

Caught on camera: Libyan coast guard shoots at migrant boat

Associated Press  

BARCELONA, Spain — A non-profit sea rescue group on Thursday slammed Libya’s coast guard after it witnessed the Libyan maritime authorities in what it described as chasing a crowded migrant boat and shooting in its direction in an apparent effort to stop it from crossing the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. The EU must immediately end cooperation with the so-called Libyan …

More than 800 migrants rescued at sea head to Italy
3 years, 8 months ago

More than 800 migrants rescued at sea head to Italy

LA Times  

Migrants look at the sea Thursday from aboard the Ocean Viking in the Mediterranean Sea. SOS Mediterranee said Saturday the Ocean Viking was sailing toward a Sicilian port with 236 migrants who were rescued days earlier in the Mediterranean from human traffickers’ boats. Two Italian ports faced an influx of hundreds of migrants Saturday, as a charity ship sailed toward …

Rescue groups decry loss of migrant lives in Mediterranean
3 years, 8 months ago

Rescue groups decry loss of migrant lives in Mediterranean

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Aid group Alarm Phone said in a tweet that …

Aid group says detained migrant killed, 2 injured in Libya
3 years, 9 months ago

Aid group says detained migrant killed, 2 injured in Libya

Associated Press  

CAIRO — A shooting in a detention center for migrants in Libya’s capital left one migrant dead and two others injured, an international charity said Saturday. “This shooting demonstrates the grave risks that people face while locked up in these detention centers for an indefinite period of time,” said Ellen van der Velden, MSF’s operational manager for Libya. The international …

More than 150 migrants freed in Libya in raid on human traffickers
3 years, 10 months ago

More than 150 migrants freed in Libya in raid on human traffickers

LA Times  

Libyan authorities raided a secret prison in a southeastern city used by human traffickers and freed at last 156 African migrants, as the U.N. migration agency said Monday more than 1,300 Europe-bound migrants were returned over the past week to the conflict-stricken country. The International Organization for Migration said at least 1,315 migrants were intercepted at the Mediterranean Sea since …

UN: Libyan coastguard detains hundreds of migrants
4 years, 7 months ago

UN: Libyan coastguard detains hundreds of migrants

Al Jazeera  

About 1,000 migrants have attempted the Mediterranean Sea crossing from Libya this month, United Nations says. Libya’s coastguard intercepted about 400 Europe-bound migrants off the country’s Mediterranean coast over the past two days, and brought them to detention centres near the capital Tripoli. Major transit point Libya, which descended into chaos following the 2011 uprising that toppled and killed longtime …

Nearly 1,000 migrants ‘returned to Libya’ this year
4 years, 11 months ago

Nearly 1,000 migrants ‘returned to Libya’ this year

Al Jazeera  

Libyan coastguards intercepted the refugees and migrants and took them to detention centres, says the UN. “At least 953 migrants, among them 136 women and 85 children, have been returned to Libyan shores in the first two weeks of 2020,” IOM spokesperson Safa Msehli said on Tuesday. “Any escalation in fighting is going to put all civilians, including migrants, at …

Making misery pay: Libya militias take EU funds for migrants
5 years ago

Making misery pay: Libya militias take EU funds for migrants

Associated Press  

TRIPOLI, Libya — When the European Union started funneling millions of euros into Libya to slow the tide of migrants crossing the Mediterranean, the money came with EU promises to improve detention centers notorious for abuse and fight human trafficking. “Libyan authorities have to provide the detained refugees and migrants with adequate and quality food while ensuring that conditions in …

‘Between life and death’: Rescued migrants recall Libya ‘hell’
5 years ago

‘Between life and death’: Rescued migrants recall Libya ‘hell’

Al Jazeera  

Libya is major gateway for African migrants hoping to reach Europe but they face ‘unimaginable horrors’ in the country. There are no rights for black people, even someone who has been stabbed or shot.” Libya acts as a major gateway for African migrants hoping to reach Europe. About 4,500 people are currently held in “official” detention centres across Libya. Everything …

UN tries to cut numbers at EU-funded migrant center in Libya
5 years, 1 month ago

UN tries to cut numbers at EU-funded migrant center in Libya

Associated Press  

CAIRO — The U.N. refugee agency plans to cut the number of migrants staying at an overcrowded transit center in Libya’s capital, a spokesman said Saturday. “The migrants are reluctant and have their concerns about leaving the GDF,” one person seeking shelter at the facility said, who spoke on condition of anonymity for his safety. They were followed by another …

Hundreds of migrants in Libya flee detention, cite hunger
5 years, 2 months ago

Hundreds of migrants in Libya flee detention, cite hunger

Associated Press  

PARIS — Hundreds of migrants have fled a detention center in coastal Libya and crowded overnight around a U.N. facility, saying they were denied food for weeks. The U.N. refugee agency says the facility is already overcrowded, with about half the 800 people inside arriving informally, including many from another detention center that was hit last summer by an airstrike. …

Libya’s coastguard rescues 290 migrants off Tripoli’s coast
5 years, 7 months ago

Libya’s coastguard rescues 290 migrants off Tripoli’s coast

Al Jazeera  

The migrants were handed-over to anti-illegal migration department after they were disembarked at two cities. Libya‘s coastguard has rescued 290 migrants clinging to inflatable rafts in two operations near the capital, Tripoli. A coastguard vessel rescued 87 migrants off Qarabuli, a town 50km from eastern Tripoli, on an inflatable boat, naval forces spokesperson Ayoub Qassem told Reuters news agency on …

‘Desperate’ situation off Libya as rescued refugees ‘hijack’ ship
5 years, 9 months ago

‘Desperate’ situation off Libya as rescued refugees ‘hijack’ ship

Al Jazeera  

Concern after Italy vows to keep tanker allegedly hijacked by rescued refugees and migrants out of territorial waters. An aid group has warned of a “desperate and dangerous situation” in the Mediterranean Sea after authorities in Italy vowed to close their ports to a ship reportedly hijacked by rescued refugees and migrants. Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Matteo Salvini, Italy’s …

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