Hundreds arrested in latest Libya crackdown on migrants

Libya-detention-centres.jpg

Libya detention centres

from AHMED ZAYED in Tripoli, Libya
TRIPOLI, (CAJ News) THE arrest of more than 600 migrants in Libya is the latest in a series of violations perpetrated by government on refugees in the North African country.

The individuals, peacefully demonstrating for relocation, protection, and evacuation from Libya were arrested in Tripoli and moved to Ain Zara detention centre in the southern part of the city.

Hundreds of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers are already detained in overcrowded cells and deprived living conditions.

Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF)/ Doctors Without Borders reported its teams have treated patients with stab wounds, beating marks and signs of shock or trauma caused by the forced arrests.

“Among them there were people who had been beaten and separated from their children during the raids,” Gabriele Ganci, MSF head of mission for Libya, lamented.

Ellen van der Velden, MSF operations manager, urged the authorities to find dignified alternatives to detention.

“We call on the EU (European Union) to stop supporting the perpetration of an unending system of detention, abuse, and violence in Libya,” van der Velden appealed.

For the last two months, MSF teams in Tripoli have carried out mobile clinics on a weekly basis in Ain Zara detention center, providing basic health care and mental health consultations to migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers.

Most refugees in Libya are in the country after failing to cross to Europe via the Mediterranean.

– CAJ News

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