By Raheema Abdirizaq | Communications Officer
2024 continues to be marked by tragedies and incidents impacting migrants, refugees and asylum seekers leaving Libya. In March, during a Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) rescue mission, a Libyan coastguard (LCG) boat impeded the rescue of around 170 people, including children and unaccompanied minors, with an interference of dangerous manoeuvres by the LCG, which lasted around 2 hours. Despite outrage from rights groups in response to this incident, the European Union (EU) asserted that the Libyan authorities had acted in compliance with international law. It can no longer be ignored that the LCG continues to put the lives and safety of migrants and refugees at risk – with the support of EU funding.
Additionally, the hostile environment has continued to grow, through multiple incidents over the last few months. In December 2023, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported a tragic shipwreck, off the Libyan coast of Zuwara, which led to the deaths of at least 61 people. In January 2024, the Humanity 1 rescue operation recovered around 126 people in response to a distress call. In March, SOS Méditerranée rescued 25 people from a deflated rubber dinghy.
With the Mediterranean being one of the most dangerous migration routes, it is crucial that the EU and its member states take urgent action immediately to ensure safety in the Mediterranean Sea by undertaking regular search and rescue operations and disembarking people rescued in safe ports within Europe.
Strengthening our advocacy and outreach
Over the last few months, LFJL has continued to push forward in routes towards accountability and justice for migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, through different strands of our programmatic work. LFJL is currently engaging with the Special Rapporteur for the situation of human rights in Eritrea, Dr Mohamed Abdelsalam Babiker, to update on the migration situation in Libya and as part of our advocacy and outreach work on cases including Eritrean nationals. As mentioned in our previous project report, LFJL and REDRESS filed a complaint to the UN on behalf of an Eritrean refugee who faced torture and other ill-treatment within Libyan detention. We are also engaged in discussion with the UNHCR around protection for asylum seekers and refugees in Libya and will aim to provide updates on this.
As part of our Research and Capacity Building work, we are conducting documentation and collection of evidence on the unlawful detention of migrants in prisons within Libya. In this documentation of evidence, the team is focusing on arbitrary arrests and detention; torture and other ill-treatment. We are currently reaching out to collect testimony from victims on their experiences of detention and explore accountability routes.
LFJL continues to monitor the cases within Dutch courts against the suspected traffickers, accused of committing severe crimes against migrants and refugees within Libya. Our team met with lawyers in the Netherlands to discuss the routes for the cases and are reviewing strategic options regarding the sentences.
What’s next?
LFJL are continuing our advocacy and outreach efforts towards the improved protection space for refugees and migrants within Libya and to include third country options. Additionally, we continue to urge the inclusion of crimes against humanity and war crimes in the ICC’s investigation and prosecutions of crimes against migrants and refugees committed in Libya. The prosecutions by the ICC must reflect the full weight and systematic nature of the crimes and acts committed against migrants and refugees.
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