United Nations chief Antonio Guterres has renewed the call for the closure of all detention centers in Libya, condemning human rights violations against refugees and migrants inside the facilities, reported Al Jazeera.
“Nothing can justify the horrendous conditions under which refugees and migrants are detained in Libya,” Guterres said in a report submitted on Thursday to the UN Security Council.
He appealed the Libyan authorities to fulfil their obligations under international law and to close all detention centres, in close coordination with United Nations entities.
The UN chief said more than 2,780 migrants were detained across Libya as of July 31. Twenty-two percent of those held are children. As per the UN report, men and boys are frequently threatened with violence inside the facilities, and their families are pressured to send ransom money. It said that migrants and refugees have been shot at when they attempted to escape, resulting in injuries and deaths. Some considered too weak to survive were even left on the streets to die.
Guterres said children should never be detained especially when they are unaccompanied or separated from their parents. He called on Libyan authorities to ensure the children are protected until long-term solutions are found.
Libya is currently embroiled in a civil war between Khalifa Hafter’s self-styled Libyan National Army and the Tripoli-based, UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA).
The country has become a main transit country for migrants from sub-Saharan Africa after the overthrow and killing of longtime ruler Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The Mediterranean Sea route is a perilous journey but thousands of migrants risk it every year for the chance of a better life in Europe.
In August, at least 45 migrants drowned when their boat capsized off the coast of Libya. The UN estimates more than 300 people have died attempting the central Mediterranean crossing since the beginning of this year.
