• Torture, rape and slavery in Libya: why migrants must be able to leave this hell

    Rape, torture and slave labour are among the horrendous daily realities for people stuck in Libya who are desperately trying to escape war, persecution and poverty in African countries, according to a new report by Oxfam and Italian partners MEDU and Borderline Sicilia.

    The report features harrowing testimonies, gathered by Oxfam and its partners, from women and men who arrived in Sicily having made the dangerous crossing from Libya. Some revealed how gangs imprisoned them in underground cells, before calling their families to demand a ransom for their release. A teenager from Senegal told how he was kept in a cell which was full of dead bodies, before managing to escape. Others spoke of being regularly beaten and starved for months on end.

    Oxfam and its partners are calling on Italy and other European member states to stop pursuing migration policies that prevent people leaving Libya and the abuse they are suffering.

    158 testimonies, of 31 women and 127 men, gathered by Oxfam and MEDU in Sicily, paint a shocking picture of the conditions they endured in Libya:

    All but one woman said they had suffered from sexual violence
    74% of the refugees and other migrants said they had witnessed the murder and /or torture of a travelling companion
    84% said they had suffered inhuman or degrading treatment, extreme violence or torture in Libya
    80% said they had been regularly denied food and water during their stay in Libya
    70% said they had been tied up

    https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases/2017-08-09/torture-rape-and-slavery-libya-why-migrants-must-be-able-leave
    #torture #enlèvements #viols #Libye #asile #migrations #réfugiés #rapport

    • Lager Libia. I migranti raccontano l’indicibile

      Nel febbraio del 2017 l’Italia ha stipulato con la Libia un nuovo accordo sui migranti. Oggi si conoscono gli effetti di questo accordo: una drastica diminuzione degli sbarchi in Italia e centinaia di migliaia di migranti intrappolati nel paese nordafricano. Si tratta di persone provenienti sia dall’Africa occidentale che dal Corno d’Africa, in fuga da violenze, guerre, persecuzioni e miseria estrema. Cosa sia la Libia oggi lo raccontano migliaia di testimonianze dei migranti: un grande lager dove si consumano atrocità degne dei peggiori campi di sterminio del XX secolo. Le testimonianze di questo video sono state raccolte a Roma e in Sicilia nei progetti di Medici per i Diritti Umani a supporto delle vittime di tortura. Video di Noemi La Barbera/Medici per i Diritti Umani.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m93RBg8kCWA

      #viols #Libye #témoignages #vidéo

    • Inferno in Libia, «oggi vi ammazziamo tutti»: i migranti torturati e i video per chiedere il riscatto

      Plastica fusa sulla schiena, frustate su tutto il corpo: tutto ripreso con i cellulari e poi inviato ai parenti delle vittime. Il governo libico: «Catturati gli aguzzini autori delle torture»

      http://www.corriere.it/video-articoli/2018/01/24/inferno-libia-oggi-vi-ammazziamo-tutti-migranti-torturati-video-chiedere-riscatto/2a2dce8c-0144-11e8-b515-cd75c32c6722.shtml

    • Rapporto choc. Torture e stupri in Libia: l’ultima accusa dell’Onu

      Una strage occultata: migranti fucilati da militari libici in un centro di detenzione. Non ne avremmo saputo nulla se il segretario generale dell’Onu non ne avesse rivelato l’esistenza in un rapporto choc – visionato da Avvenire – trasmesso al Consiglio di sicurezza nel quale vengono riportati anche i soprusi della Guardia costiera e le crudeltà dei funzionari incaricati del contrasto all’immigrazione illegale. Nero su bianco Antonio Guterres smaschera la narrazione di una Libia in via di stabilizzazione, con i profughi finalmente trattati con più umanità. «I migranti sono stati sottoposti a detenzione arbitraria e torture, tra cui stupri e altre forme di violenza sessuale», scrive il segretario generale, basandosi sulle inchieste di Unsimil, la missione Onu a Tripoli. Indistintamente, nei centri governativi come nei lager clandestini, avvengono «rapimenti per estorsione, lavori forzati e uccisioni illegali» si legge nel documento consegnato al Consiglio di sicurezza il 12 febbraio.

      https://www.avvenire.it/attualita/pagine/torture-e-stupri-in-libia-lultima-accusa-dellonu

    • Ecco come vengono torturati i migranti in Libia: i referti shock della «pacchia»

      Profughi in catene, ustionati e denutriti, aggrediti con acido, picchiati con martelli e tubi. Siamo in grado di farvi leggere i documenti medici sulle ferite delle persone che fuggono dall’Africa e la prova delle violenze nei luoghi di detenzione

      http://espresso.repubblica.it/inchieste/2018/06/27/news/ecco-come-vengono-torturati-i-migranti-in-libia-i-referti-shock-
      #viol

    • EU’s foreign policy chief demands closure of migrant shelters in Libya

      The EU’s foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini demanded the closure of migrant shelters in Libya, on claims that their conditions of detention were unacceptable.

      “The European Commission is unable to act alone to eliminate the violent practices and violations of the rights of migrants and asylum seekers in shelters in Libya,” Mogherini said through her spokeswoman, Maja Kocijancic.

      Mogherini pointed out that the goal of the European Union is to secure safe spaces for asylum seekers, especially women, children and the marginalized groups, according to Italian Aki news agency.

      https://www.libyaobserver.ly/inbrief/eus-foreign-policy-chief-demands-closure-migrant-shelters-libya

      comme dit un collègue:

      Dans la série « Mogherini dit tout et n’importe quoi » : SI elle demande vraiment la fermeture des centres de détention (où les garde-côtes libyens sont censés envoyer tout migrant intercepter en mer), cela revient à demander l’arrêt des interceptions et retours des migrants en Libye par les garde-côtes libyens…

    • #IOM Statement: Protecting Migrants in Libya Must be our Primary Focus

      With regard to its activities in Libya, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) would like to clarify that we follow the UN position indicating that Libya cannot yet be considered a safe port.

      IOM in Libya is present at the disembarkation points to deliver primary assistance to migrants that have been rescued at sea. However, following their disembarkation, migrants are transferred to detention centres under the responsibility of the Libyan #Directorate_for_Combatting_Illegal_Migration (#DCIM) over which the Organization has no authority or oversight. The detention of men, women and children is arbitrary. The unacceptable and inhumane conditions in these detention centres are well documented, and IOM continues to call for alternative solutions to this systematic detention.

      The number of migrants returned to Libyan shores has reached over 16,000 since January 2018, and concern remains for their safety and security in Libya, due to the conditions in the detention centres.

      IOM only has access to centres to provide direct humanitarian assistance in the form of non-food items, health and protection assistance, as well as Voluntary Humanitarian Return support for migrants wishing to return to their countries of origin.

      IOM’s access to detention centres in Libya is part of the Organization’s efforts to alleviate the suffering of migrants but cannot guarantee their safety and protection from serious reported violations. IOM advocates for alternatives to detention including open centres and safe spaces for women, children and other vulnerable migrants. A change of policy is needed urgently as migrants returned to Libya should not be facing arbitrary detention.

      The security and humanitarian situations in the country remain dangerous, and IOM reiterates that Libya cannot be considered a safe port or haven for migrants.

      https://www.iom.int/news/iom-statement-protecting-migrants-libya-must-be-our-primary-focus
      #OIM