Justice and Human Rights Libya Project #32313

Routes to Justice for Migrants in Libya

Project Report | Jan 5, 2022
Migrants in Libya face crimes against humanity

By Mae Thompson | Programmes Officer

Legal submission argues migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Libya face crimes against humanity

Based on research developed over the course of several years and building on our work to seek accountability and provide justice to victims for the widely documented human rights violations committed against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Libya, LFJL recently filed a Communication to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in collaboration with the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and survivors. The ICC Communication, filed on 23 November 2021, argues that these atrocities, which include enslavement, murder, torture and rape, amount to crimes against humanity under the Rome Statute. The ICC Communication, which details information about 19 alleged Libyan perpetrators ranging from prison guards to well-known militia chiefs, and four hubs for human trafficking and other serious crimes in Libya, urgently demands the ICC to open an investigation into these crimes as a step towards ensuring accountability and justice for the victims, and to deter further crimes.

LFJL, together with ECCHR and FIDH also published a complementary joint public report, NO WAY OUT: Migrants and Refugees Trapped in Libya Face Crimes Against Humanity. The report includes first-hand accounts of survivors detailing the systematic and widespread abuse of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Libya and offers an analysis of the findings on crimes against humanity as presented in the ICC Communication. To better depict the cruel reality of many migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Libya and the treacherous journeys that they are forced to take in search of safety, the report included an interactive Story Map which tells the story of one of the survivors with whom we worked.

The report further examines the EU policies designed to prevent migrants, refugees and asylum seekers from reaching Europe through Libya. The report considers that European policies and actions that indiscriminately return migrants, refugees and asylum seekers to Libya and trap them there are unlawful and raise the question of European responsibility in the commission of crimes that may amount to crimes against humanity.

Given the findings of our ICC Communication and public report, our latest advocacy efforts, including bilateral meetings with policy makers and other relevant stakeholders, have centred around demanding that the Libyan authorities, the EU and European states comply with their international obligations and ensure migrants, refugees and asylum seekers have access to protection, safety and justice. LFJL has also aimed to raise awareness of the situation and we have been vocal about our concerns and demands through various media outlets, including a guest appearance by Senior Programmes Officer, Elise Flecher on the Civil Fleet Podcast – to be released early this year.

What’s next?

LFJL will continue calling for the removal of harmful Libyan and European policies in order to protect the rights, safety and lives of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers that are or have been in Libya. We will also be prioritising our direct work with survivors, to whom we provide legal and other forms of support and access to justice.

Thank you for your continued and generous support. To receive regular updates about the work we do across all of our programmes, you can subscribe to our newsletter.

Permalink

Sep 7, 2021
LFJL seeks #RoutesToJustice for refugees

By Mae Thompson | Programmes Assistant

Since our last project report, LFJL has continued to investigate and document the human rights abuses committed against refugees and migrants in Libya. Our investigations have focused on a variety of incidents including an explosion at a migrant detention centre in Gharyan on 20 June 2021, reportedly caused by ammunition that was being stored at the centre. We have also been investigating a decision issued by the Municipality of Zuwara in July in which migrants were given 10 days to either settle their status or leave the city. Reportedly, after the decision and the 10-day notice period, between 60 and 80 migrants were arbitrarily arrested in the city.

In June, LFJL made a joint submission to the UN Human Rights Committee with partner REDRESS requesting reparation from Libya for an Eritrean asylum-seeker who was a victim of torture and other grave human rights violations whilst being arbitrarily detained in the country. The submission also recommended that, to ensure such acts do not happen again, Libya should adopt legislation to prevent violations against refugees, asylum seekers and migrants and train public officials on their rights.

LFJL also recently made a submission to the UN Fact-Finding Mission on Libya (FFM) and encouraged and supported other Libyan civil society organisations in making their own submissions to the UN body, which was established in June 2020 to document violations and abuses of international human rights and humanitarian law by all parties involved in Libya since the beginning of 2016. LFJL’s submission included documentation of violations and abuses committed against refugees and migrants, including human trafficking and war crimes. As a key step towards accountability in Libya, LFJL has recently emphasized the critical need for the UN Human Rights Council to renew the mandate of the FFM later this month.

On 20 June, LFJL marked World Refugee Day with a social media campaign underlining that international protection should be guaranteed for refugees and migrants fleeing human rights violations in Libya. The campaign drew attention to the spirit of the 1951 Refugee Convention and called on European States, most of which adopted the Convention, and the Libyan authorities to immediately stop returns to Libya and provide safe and legal passage to Europe.

In a webinar hosted by Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor on 30 July, Senior Programmes Officer, Elise Flecher discussed impunity in Libya and the role of the EU and the UN, particularly with regards to the arms embargo and the situation of refugees and migrants. She reiterated the importance of implementing proactive search and rescue missions by European states of refugees and migrants in the Mediterranean and ensuring that cooperation with the Libyan authorities is contingent on human rights guarantees.

What’s next?

Our work to document and seek accountability for human trafficking and other human rights violations committed against refugees and migrants in Libya is set to continue over the coming months. We are currently preparing a legal submission to an international body and will be releasing a public report detailing our findings before the end of the year.

To receive regular updates about our work across all of our programmes, you can subscribe to our newsletter. The whole of the LFJL team wishes to thank you for your support.

Permalink

May 12, 2021
LFJL Investigates Human Trafficking in Libya

By Mae Thompson | Programmes Assistant

So far this year, LFJL has been focusing its efforts on investigating and documenting the human rights abuses committed against refugees and migrants in Libya, including human trafficking, with the aim of reaching accountability for these crimes.

LFJL is currently working on a joint project to document, analyse and seek accountability for the widespread human rights violations committed against refugees and migrants in Libya since 2011. As part of this project, LFJL has engaged with, and interviewed, refugees and migrants who went through Libya. Testimonies described how refugees and migrants continue to face arbitrary and indefinite detention, torture, extortion, forced labour and sexual and gender-based violence. As part of the protocol for interviewing survivors, we conducted a mapping of the psychosocial and legal services available for the refugees located across Europe and Africa, and established referral mechanisms in case the individuals that participated required further support.

Additionally, we are also working closely with an asylum-seeker from sub-Saharan Africa who was a victim of trafficking, arbitrary detention and torture in Libya. Together with a partner organisation, we are supporting them in seeking justice by preparing a case file for a submission to a relevant international mechanism.

Following up our social media campaign launched on International Migrants Day back in December, on Europe Day, celebrated on 9 May, LFJL drew attention to problematic European policies that trap vulnerable refugees and migrants in Libya. Such policies, aimed at keeping refugees and migrants away from Europe’s borders, violate European foundation principles of unity, inclusion and human rights. Libya remains severely dangerous for refugees and migrants, and we urge European governments and institutions to open safe and legal routes to Europe.

Finally, on 16 March, Libya’s third Universal Periodic Review came to an end with the adoption of the outcome report by the UN Human Rights Council. The outcome report outlined the recommendations made by other United Nations Member States on the measures that Libya should take to improve the human rights situation in the country, noting which recommendations Libya accepted and which they did not. Out of the 285 recommendations received, Libya only accepted 181 and noted 104. Many of the recommendations on protecting the human rights of refugees and migrants were not accepted by Libya, including the recommendation to end arbitrary and indefinite detention. By failing to accept these recommendations (or “noting” them), Libya refused to commit to take steps to implement them. In response, LFJL and other Libyan partner organisations published an open letter calling on Libya to accept all 285 recommendations, including to end the criminalisation of the entry, stay and exit of migrants and the resulting system of automatic detention.

What’s next?

Our work to investigate human trafficking and other crimes committed against refugees and migrants in Libya will continue over the coming months. Findings from our joint projects will be released later this year so keep an eye out for them.

We also hope to follow-up on our work with organisations working with refugees who have spent time in Libya, particularly those based in the UK, in an effort to help provide much needed support to survivors.

Toreceiveregularupdatesabout our work acrossall ofour programmes, you cansubscribe toournewsletter.The LFJL team thanks you for supporting our work.

Permalink

‹ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ›

About Project Reports

Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.

If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.