Migrants sit in a building in a detention center in Libya.
At Tuesday's meeting of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, the desperate plight of migrants and refugees who have been tortured, trafficked and trafficked on a large scale in Libya was in focus. UN human rights chief Türk urged the international community to consider halting the implementation of the agreement with the North Africa country on asylum seekers and migrants.
Türk told Member States that "trafficking, torture, forced labor, extortion, starvation in intolerable conditions of detention are" massive...... acts with impunity".
Türk went on to say that "mass deportations, trafficking in people, including children" are widespread in Libya. He argues that the collusion between State and non-State actors continues, and that victims are "dehumanized".
He called on the Libya authorities to investigate crimes committed against thousands of vulnerable people on the move. He also highlighted the mass graves discovered in southwestern Libya in March, which contained 65 bodies presumed to be migrants.
"As if that weren't scary enough, we are following up on reports of another mass grave recently found in the desert area of the Libya-Tunisia border," he said...... The relatives of the deceased have every right to know the truth. ”
A state of unrest
Türk urged a review of the long-standing arrangement between the EU and the Libya authorities: Libya authorities are responsible for intercepting migrants trying to cross Eastern Mediterranean to Europe. Independent human rights experts and charities involved in search and rescue operations have often criticized this arrangement, saying that the Libya Coast Guard had engaged in reckless behaviour, including firing at or near migrant boats, and ramming boats to capsize them before returning survivors to Libya.
Türk noted that in the 12 months since April 2023, more than 2,400 people have died or gone missing while trying to cross the central Eastern Mediterranean, of which more than 1,300 have travelled from Libya.
"It is unconscionable that people seeking safety and dignity are suffering and dying in such unspeakable circumstances," he said. I remind all States that saving lives and preventing deaths at sea is a collective responsibility under international law. “
© UNICEF/Alessio Romenzi
Sahara is dangerous
According to the latest UN estimates, the number of migrants dying trying to cross the Sahara Desert could be twice as high as in the Eastern Mediterranean.
These grim findings reflect the growing number of people trying to cross the Sahara Desert, fueled by new conflicts in the Sahel and Sudan, climate shocks, and protracted emergencies in East Africa and the Horn of Africa, while Libya ongoing political turmoil and conflict since Libya the overthrow of longtime President Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 has torn the country apart, putting migrants and refugees at risk in Libya.
Türk went on to say that the "volatile security situation" has also prevented the UN human rights monitors from having full access to the southern and eastern parts of the country.
Extrajudicial executions
While highlighting the surge in "arbitrary arrests and detentions, enforced disappearances, and detention-related violations" in Libya, Türk also expressed concern that political opponents and dissidents continue to be targeted. "While the numbers are likely to be higher and arrests continue, we have verified at least 60 cases of arbitrary detention of individuals peacefully exercising their right to express their political views," he said. In some cases, detention has been followed by extrajudicial executions". He said that "the continuing lack of accountability for violations and abuses committed in 2011 remains one of the serious obstacles to reconciliation today and a driver of conflict."
Less than a year ago, Storm Daniel caused catastrophic flooding in the coastal city of Derna that killed thousands. Türk said Libya remained "deeply plagued by insecurity", while ordinary Libya people endured "economic hardship and political exclusion."
The UN human rights chief insisted that it was possible to rectify the situation. He called for a "rights-based, people-centred" transitional justice and reconciliation process to achieve a sustainable political settlement, restore the rule of law – including accountability for human rights violations – and establish unified, legitimate institutions.