Nederland en IOM gaan samen moordlustige Libische kustwacht steunen (tegen vluchtelingen)

A few days ago, the IOM announced that: “The Netherlands and IOM Libya have signed an agreement for an 18-month project aimed at enhancing the Libyan Coast Guard’s capacity to save lives at sea and supporting the humanitarian repatriation of vulnerable migrants from Libya.” This is what “saving lives” looks like: Refugees shot at by Libyan coastguard before being detained in ‘shocking’ conditions back in Libya. “The Libyan coastguard is intercepting and returning thousands of people to detention centres where they suffer torture and other abuses” – Magdalena Mughrabi. “The guards would beat us if we said we’re hungry… They would make us lie down on our stomach and two would hit us with [a] hose… I saw a Chadian man, they shot him for no reason in front of me” – Eritrean man on conditions at Abu Slim detention centre. The EU’s plans to work more closely with Libya on tackling people smuggling risk fuelling rampant ill-treatment and indefinite detention in shocking conditions of thousands of refugees and migrants in Libya, said Amnesty International today. The EU recently announced plans to extend its “Operation Sophia” anti-smuggling naval mission in the Mediterranean for another year and to train and share information with the Libyan coastguard following a request by the new Libyan government. However, testimonies gathered by Amnesty during visits to Sicily and Puglia in Italy last month reveal shocking abuses by the Libyan coastguard and in immigration detention centres in Libya (…) At least 3,500 people were intercepted at sea by the Libyan coastguard between 22 and 28 May and transferred to detention centres. Abdurrahman, 23, from Eritrea, described the abuse he endured when the overloaded boat he was travelling on – with capacity for 50 people but carrying 120 – was intercepted by members of the Libyan coastguard in January. He said: “They made everyone get off and beat them with rubber hoses and wooden sticks. They then shot one man in the foot – he was the last one coming off the boat so they asked him where the driver was. When he said he didn’t know they said ‘that means you are the driver’ and they shot him.”

In Libya: more violations by coast guards and IOM collaboration (FFM)