The investigating judge of the court of Agrigento, Micaela Raimondo ruled that the port of Tripoli cannot be considered a safe haven to disembark migrants.
This came in a decision issued by the judge, which led to the suspension of legal proceedings against the captain of the German “Sea Watch” ship, Carola Rackete, who was accused of aiding and abetting illegal immigration.
She added that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), confirmed that Tripoli cannot be considered as a safe haven.
It is worth noting that a recent UNHCR report highlighted the arbitrary detention of thousands of asylum seekers, migrants, and refugees in Libya. The report pointed out that they are subjected to torture and degrading treatment, according to the Aki news agency.
It was announced that the Libyan Coast Guard intercepted and returned an estimated 28,600 refugees and migrants, between January-October 2021, according to an Italian statistical report.
The report, issued by the Migrants Foundation on Tuesday, indicated that “this number is unprecedented,” noting that “the total number of people who have been returned so far has exceeded 100,000 migrants since 2016.” It added that 56,700 refugees and migrants managed to arrive in Italy or Malta.
“The illegal practices committed by the Libyan authorities against migrants and asylum seekers, whether during pushbacks or in prisons and detention centers, violate their right to life and physical and psychological integrity,” the report read.
According to a Libyan government official, the number of detained migrants and asylum seekers in prisons and detention centers is believed to be around 13,000 people. These are mostly from African countries, such as Ethiopia, Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Sudan, Egypt, and the Maghreb states.