European governments to blame for human rights violation in Libya - Amnesty International

macfranc007 December 12, 2017 Nigeria News today & Breaking news ▷ Read Nigerian newspapers 24/7 Jerrywright Ukwu

- European governments are “complicit” in grave human rights violations in Libya

- This is the position of global advocacy, Amnesty International (AI)

- Amnesty International’s head for Europe, John Dalhuisen, spoke on behalf of the group

Global advocacy group, Amnesty International (AI), have accused have accused European governments of aiding human rights violations in Libya.

A report by CNN recently exposed the inhuman conditions migrants mostly from Nigeria are subjected to in slave camps in Libya.

Amnesty International’s head for Europe, John Dalhuisen, told Reuters that the European governments often work with people smugglers and torture refugees and migrants.

EU blamed for suffering of Nigerians, others in Libya slave trade

Nigerians are the highest migrants in Libya attempting to cross into Europe. Source: Twitter

According to him, the governments, via the European Union, have provided support to Libya, trained its coastguard and spent millions of euros through U.N. agencies in order cut African immigration across the Mediterranean

He further said up to 20,000 people were now held in these centers and subject to “torture, forced labor, extortion, and unlawful killings”, which tallies with similar allegations made by other rights organizations over the past months.

“European governments have not just been fully aware of these abuses; by actively supporting the Libyan authorities in stopping sea crossings and containing people in Libya, they are complicit in these crimes,” he added.

AI said the Libyan coastguards - which the EU backs to intercept people heading for Europe - work hand-in-hand with people smugglers, including in torturing people to extort money.

“By supporting Libyan authorities in trapping people in Libya ... European governments have shown where their true priorities lie: namely the closure of the central Mediterranean route, with scant regard to the suffering caused,” Dalhuisen said.

Available statistics indicates that more than 600,000 Africans have made the journey into Europe through the sea over the past four years.

Meanwhile, Nigeria's former president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has blamed the failure of African leaders for the slave trade in Libya.

Obasanjo made the statement on Thursday, December 8, wheile speaking at the opening ceremony of the 2017 Annual Conference of the Comptroller General of Immigration of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) held at Abeokuta, Ogun state.

The former president described the condition faced by some Nigerian youths in Libya as dehumanizing, adding that the occurrence in Libya ought to be condemned as a failure of leadership at all levels.

Nigerians speak on slavery in Libya on NAIJ.com TV