Libyan migrants ‘victims of crimes against humanity’, says UN

Libyan migrants ‘victims of crimes against humanity’, says UN

A fact-finding mission says violations were committed by both state forces and armed groups.

UN investigators have found that migrants seeking to transit through Libya are targeted and systematically tortured. (AP pic)
GENEVA:
A UN fact-finding mission on Libya said today that it had reasonable grounds to believe war crimes and crimes against humanity had been committed, including against migrants, and that it would relay the evidence to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The mission, tasked with investigating abuses in the North African country since 2016, said in its final report submitted to the Geneva-based Human Rights Council that violations were committed by both state security forces and armed groups.

Migrants, thousands of whom seek to transit through the country every year, were targeted in particular and the team of three independent investigators found “overwhelming evidence” that they had been systematically tortured.

It also had reasonable grounds to believe that they were subject to sexual slavery, it said.

Stay current - Follow FMT on WhatsApp, Google news and Telegram

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.