UN called Libya to set up an investigation into use of force against migrants

Libyan Cloud News Agency – Tripoli

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said on Tuesday that Libyan security forces used unnecessary and disproportionate force to detain African migrants, shooting dead some of those trying to escape.

In a statement, the Commissioner demanded an immediate inquiry into the incidents.

Hundreds of migrants and refugees have waited outside a United Nations centre in Tripoli in recent days to seek help in escaping Libya after what aid groups called a violent crackdown in which thousands were arrested and several shot.

U.N. human rights spokesperson Marta Hurtado said in a press briefing in Geneva that Libyan security forces targeted migrants and asylum seekers, in a heavy-handed operations. 

“These have resulted in killings and serious injuries, a rise in detentions in appalling conditions, as well as expulsions of individuals to countries in sub-Saharan Africa without due process,” Hurtado said.

The Government of National Unity said that it is dealing with a complex issue in the illegal migration file, as it represents a human tragedy in addition to the social, political and legal consequences locally and internationally, according to Reuters.

Hurtado added that the Libyan Ministry of Interior officials first raided an informal location of hundreds of migrants and asylum seekers in Gargarish area of Tripoli on October 1, handcuffing, arresting, and shooting or beating those who resisted.

Hurtado call on the Libyan authorities to establish prompt, thorough, impartial and independent investigations into the claims of unnecessary and disproportionate use of force including the allegations of killings by the security forces and affiliated armed groups, with a view to holding those responsible accountable.