Reports of human rights abuses in Libya‘s detention centres have been a persistent concern that demands an urgent response.
Development Diaries reports that inside prison facilities in the country’s capital, Tripoli, migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers have suffered beatings, sexual assaults, and even death.
According to Doctors Without Borders, also known as Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), refugees and asylum seekers are systematically deprived of the most basic humane conditions, including proper access to food, water, sanitation and medical care.
MSF findings also reveal that mass and indiscriminate violence was frequently used by guards, often as a punishment for disobeying orders, requesting medical care, asking for extra food, or in retaliation to protests or attempted escapes.
Data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reveals that as of 07 May, 2023, 5,554 people were estimated to be in detention centres across Libya. Over 1,100 of the refugees belonged to nationalities that the UNHCR recorded as being in Libya.
Reports from various humanitarian organisations and testimonies from survivors consistently reveal a disturbing pattern of abuse, including arbitrary arrests, torture, and inhumane living conditions.
Detainees, often migrants and refugees seeking a better life, face overcrowded facilities with inadequate access to food, water, and health care. People become even more vulnerable when due process is lacking, as they are left at the mercy of law enforcement officials who act without consequence.
Furthermore, there have been alarming instances of human trafficking, sexual violence, and forced labour within these detention centres. Vulnerable populations, such as women and children, are particularly at risk, facing exploitation and abuse.
Development Diaries calls on the Libyan government to free all detained migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, give them enough protection, a secure place to live, and safe and authorised exit routes from the North African country.
Photo source: MSF
