The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called for strict measures against smugglers and human traffickers who continue to cause unimaginable suffering for refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants in Libya.
In addition to people detained in human trafficking centres, UNHCR stressed that more than 2,000 refugees and migrants were held in official shelters without judicial reviews.
UNHCR indicated that it stood prepared to support the Libyan authorities in identifying and implementing alternatives to detention in Libya as well as ending arbitrary detention of refugees and asylum seekers.
The Commission also expressed its aspiration to reopen international travel lines that will allow the resumption of resettlement and evacuation operations for those in need and voluntary humanitarian return for those wishing to return to their homes.
The UNHCR announced the death of an asylum seeker in the capital, Tripoli, because of a tragic accident.
It confirmed that on July 20, an Eritrean asylum seeker who accompanied another Eritrean man had arrived at the UNHCR Community Development Centre in Tripoli and seemed to be suffering from acute malnutrition. One of them needed urgent medical care, and an ambulance was called, but he died before being transferred to the hospital.
UNHCR indicated that it had arranged for his companion through community members and provided him with registration services and other assistance. The two men were previously detained by smugglers in the city of Bani Walid, northwest of Libya.