Spike In Abuse of Migrants In Libya Worries UN

The United Nations has said that migrants and asylum seekers in Libya have been facing increasingly heavy-handed treatment from targeted security operations, that have resulted in at least one death and a steep increase in detentions.

An alert issued by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), has warned of "a myriad of daily violations and abuses at the hands of both State and Non-State players, that includes expulsions of individuals to countries in sub-Saharan Africa without due process being followed.

According to a recent report by an independent fact-finding mission to Libya, widespread and systematic violations could amount to crimes against humanity. The rights office is calling on the authorities to establish prompt, thorough, impartial and independent investigations into abuse claims.

OHCHR is also asking the Libyan authorities to release all arbitrarily detained migrants and asylum seekers, cease the raids on their settlements, halt evictions and stop criminalising them.