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Libyan negligence, European passivity. UN Secretary General António Guterres denounces

(B2) In his latest report on the situation in Libya and off the coast of Libya, UN Secretary General António Guterres does not mince his words

António Guterres (credit: UN)

The terms used in this 17-page report published on September 5 are particularly severe both for the Libyan authorities, but also for the countries of the region, which are a little too lax with the smugglers, and for the European authorities by their obstacles help. The statement speaks for itself...

Libya in the dock

Lack of refugee protection

Libya is still not a party to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. " It is worrying to note that all irregular entries and stays or departures continue to constitute offenses under Libyan law and that the authorities do not fully recognize UNHCR's mandate in the area of ​​international protection and the monitoring of the application of this one. »

Systematic detention in Libya is a concern

« I remain deeply concerned about the conditions under which those rescued and intercepted are disembarked and systematically detained. One may wonder whether these facts respect international law. This situation is intolerable. I urge the Libyan authorities to fulfill their obligations under international law and, in doing so, to give priority consideration to alternatives to detention centres. »

The fate of unregistered migrants: almost systematic rapes

« I am very concerned about the fate of the thousands of refugees and migrants who have not been placed in official detention centres; information about them is scarce and access is limited. The intensity of the sexual violence [...] during the crossing of Libya and particularly in detention, is intolerable. There is an urgent need to tackle this problem. »

Libya is not a safe country to disembark survivors

« Given the volatile security conditions and particular protection risks in the country, including detention, Libya does not meet the conditions that would allow it to be considered a place of safety or a safe third country for the purpose of disembarkation after rescue at sea. »

European countries, too, implicated

The duty to facilitate rescues

« I urge all Member States to conduct search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean, as well as to support and facilitate them, including when carried out by non-governmental or merchant vessels. »

NGO work thwarted

« Search and rescue activities carried out by NGO vessels have been greatly reduced, in particular due to the administrative and legal constraints imposed on these vessels regarding the disembarkation of refugees and migrants in Europe. [...] No one should be thwarted, prosecuted or stigmatized for saving lives at sea. »

The principle of non-refoulement not respected

« I remind all Member States of their obligation to ensure the rescue of persons at sea and their transfer to a place of safety in accordance with human rights, including the principle of non-refoulement. »

Neighboring countries also responsible by a certain laxity

« uman traffickers and migrant smugglers crossing Libya depend on networks of people who facilitate the logistics and organization of travel in neighboring countries and across the region. »

Sophia's air resources complicit in the landings in Libya

The Secretary General in his report objectively calls into question the complicity of the air assets of Operation Sophia. " The UNHCR notes that many of the boats in distress spotted by the operation have been landed in Libya, which is at odds with its advisory opinion on the matter. NB: When we know what is mentioned above, fully known to the European authorities, we can wonder about the continuation of such a policy, in flagrant contradiction with international standards.

(NGV)


Cascading human rights violations

The UN Assistance Mission to Libya (UNSMIL) also reports credible and persistent allegations:

Refugees and Migrants would be held near military installations, weapons and ammunition stored in detention centers. Some of them being forced to provide logistical support to the armed groups that control these centers ».

Detention centres, including those in Khoms, Souk el-Khamis and Zaouiya, are said to have become places conducive to human trafficking, migrant smuggling and potentially enforced disappearances ».

Other people have disappeared after their disembarkation, some of whom had been placed in an unofficial detention center in Khoms ».

Since the beginning of the offensive in Libya on April 4, " hundreds of people intercepted by the Libyan Coast Guard were reportedly sent to detention centers run by the Service for Combating Illegal Immigration, as well as unofficial centers run by militias ».

Some " 3500 refugees and migrants live in centers located in areas of clashes or where clashes are imminent ».

Requests for research that have been addressed to the Government of National Accord have remained a dead letter.

Regular sexual violence, committed by Libyan guards

The risk of sexual violence is extremely high in Libyan detention centers for migrants and refugees, women and girls as well as men and boys.

Nearly half of migrant women and children report having suffered sexual violence during their transit or stay in Libya “, according to UNICEF.

Acts of sexual violence, such as rape, which is used as a form of torture and sometimes results in death, in which the guards of the Service for Combating Illegal Immigration and armed groups in particular perpetrate, are among the methods commonly used to subjugate and humiliate migrants in these centers, “ and this always with impunity ».

In fgeneral, " women are held in facilities where all the guards are men, are subjected to strip searches, sometimes under the watch of other guards, and never have access to sanitary facilities preserving their privacy or to security services. sexual and reproductive health, including menstrual hygiene products and services for pregnant or breastfeeding women ».

He also " evidence that female prisoners became pregnant during their captivity ».

Violence that spreads throughout the journey to Libya and through Libya

On the route they take to reach Libyan shores, refugees and migrants say they have been systematically held captive in abusive conditions. They were starved, violently beaten, burned with heated metal objects, electrocuted.

Refugees and migrants are frequently sold from one criminal group to another and held to pay several ransoms before being released or taken to coastal areas to await crossing the Mediterranean Sea ».

During their journey from their country of origin through the Sahel, " countless refugees and migrants have lost their lives in captivity after being shot, tortured, starved or denied medical attention ».

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).

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