No Result
View All Result
Saturday, October 11, 2025
23 °c
Tripoli
24 ° Sat
24 ° Sun
  • Advertising
  • Contact
LibyaHerald
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
SUBSCRIBE
  • Home
  • Libya
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Magazine
  • Advertising
  • Login
  • Register
No Result
View All Result
LibyaHerald
No Result
View All Result
Home Libya

Plight of foreigners in Libya “worse than under Qaddafi” claims Amnesty International

byGeorge Grant
November 13, 2012
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
Plight of foreigners in Libya “worse than under Qaddafi” claims Amnesty International

Many sub-Saharan Africans in Libya are accused of having been mercenaries for Qaddafi.

By Hadi Fornaji.

Many sub-Saharan Africans in Libya are accused of having been mercenaries for Qaddafi.

Tripoli, 13 November:

Undocumented foreign nationals in Libya are at risk of exploitation, arbitrary and indefinite detention, as well as . . .[restrict]beatings, sometimes amounting to torture, a prominent human rights group has said.

In a new report, “We are foreigners, we have no rights”, Amnesty International claims that the situation for migrants, asylum seekers and other vulnerable foreign nationals in Libya is now worse than it was during the Qaddafi era.

Under Qaddafi, foreign nationals, especially those from sub-Saharan Africa, were subjected to arbitrary arrest, indefinite detention, torture and other abuses.

RELATED POSTS

Top law firm joins new British Libyan Business Association

An academy with a difference in Tripoli

“Following the 2011 conflict, their situation has worsened amid the general climate of lawlessness, with powerful armed militias continuing to act outside the law”, Amnesty claims. The rights group criticises what it calls “the failure of the authorities to tackle racism and xenophobia, further fuelled by the widespread belief amongst Libyans that ‘African mercenaries’ had been used by the ousted regime”.

Between May and September 2012, Amnesty International visited nine detention centres across Libya where, at the time of the visits some 2,700 foreign nationals, including pregnant women, women with young children, and unaccompanied children detained alongside adult strangers, were held for alleged migration-related offences.

The detainees told Amnesty International that they had been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, including beatings. “Most frequently, detainees are beaten for prolonged periods with various objects such as metal wires, rubber hoses, sticks and water pipes. Many showed their scars or bruises corroborating their testimonies”, the report claims.

In September 2012, a group of Somalis failed in an attempt to escape from the Khoms detention centre. They told Amnesty International they were severely beaten by armed men in civilian clothing after being recaptured.

One of the Somalis, 19-year-old Mohamed Abdallah Mohamed described being kicked and dragged along the ground, punched in the eye and beaten with rifles and sticks. He sustained several injuries including to his left eye.

Migrants, asylum-seekers and refugees in Libya are at risk of being arrested and detained in the streets, markets, checkpoints or their homes, Amnesty says. Some are intercepted while trying to board boats to Europe or crossing the desert or sea.

The report also warns that foreign nationals are vulnerable to financial extortion, exploitation and forced labour both inside and outside detention. Their fate is very dependent on luck and the goodwill of the Libyans they come across.

Some foreign nationals are arrested by the Libyan police, but most are apprehended by armed militiamen. Militia members carrying out such arrests are sometimes violent, confiscating mobile phones, money and other valuables.

“Amnesty International has repeatedly and consistently warned the Libyan authorities of the threat posed by the militias in Libya”, said Hassiba Hadj Sahraoui, Deputy Middle East and North Africa Director at Amnesty International.

“We again urge them to rein in these militias, and hold them accountable. The authorities must also take concrete measures to tackle racism and xenophobia head-on, especially considering how heavily Libya relies on migrant labour.”

The rights group also warned that the lack of a functional asylum-system in Libya leaves refugees and asylum seekers in a state of “legal-limbo”, a situation made worse by what Amnesty calls the government’s “refusal” to sign a memorandum of understanding with the UN Refugee Agency, the UNHCR.

Libya is not a state party to the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees, and its 1967 Protocol.

Libyan officials have said that some 4,000 foreign nationals were deported from Libya between January and September of this year. The deportation procedure does itself raise further concerns for their safety, with essential safeguards to ensure they are not persecuted upon their return home yet to be put in place. [/restrict]

Tags: featuredLibyaQaddafiRefugees

Related Posts

Attorney General orders arrests at Jumhouria bank branch for embezzlement
Libya

Two detained in Aman bank Ajdabiya branch for LD 1.063 million fraud to trade in foreign currency

October 10, 2025
Nearly 11,000 migrants repatriated from Libya and 3,165 Mediterranean fatalities: IOM
Libya

IOM identifies 894,890 migrants in Libya from 45 nationalities in May-July 2025 reporting period – 18 percent up on 2024

October 10, 2025
Attorney General orders arrests at Jumhouria bank branch for embezzlement
Libya

Director of Documentary Credit Department and his Deputy at Libyan Foreign Bank detained

October 10, 2025
Omar Al-Mukhtar University signs three MoUs with Malaysian academic institutions
Libya

Omar Al-Mukhtar University signs three MoUs with Malaysian academic institutions

October 10, 2025
Attorney General orders arrests at Jumhouria bank branch for embezzlement
Libya

Acting Director of Benghazi’s Hawari General Hospital in 2018-19 detained for LD 1.48 million medicines and supply corruption

October 5, 2025
GNU to take oath at Benghazi HoR session and budget to be approved at Tripoli session: GNU
Libya

Aldabaiba receives Indonesia’s Deputy Foreign Minister – strengthening cooperation discussed

October 5, 2025
Next Post

Afriqiyah Airlines ups Airbus long-haul order

Reports of Sebha attack on Internews NGO untrue

ADVERTISEMENT

Top Stories

  • NOC announces force majeure at Zawia port

    Eni North Africa resumes exploratory drilling in offshore area D (mn41) northwest of Libya – after 5-year hiatus

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Dollar exchange rate falls to Libyan Dinar in black-market four days after end of deadline for withdrawal of old LD 5 and LD 20 notes

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Libya and UAE discuss resumption of flights – Airline delegations to visit Libya soon to discuss flight resumption dates

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Bilateral Chamber to hold high-level U.S.-Libya Ministerial Roundtable in Houston on 13 October

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Air traffic increasing over Kufra Airport airspace – up to 100 international airliners per day

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
ADVERTISEMENT
LibyaHerald

The Libya Herald first appeared on 17 February 2012 – the first anniversary of the Libyan Revolution. Since then, it has become a favourite go-to source on news about Libya, for many in Libya and around the world, regularly attracting millions of hits.

Recent News

Two detained in Aman bank Ajdabiya branch for LD 1.063 million fraud to trade in foreign currency

IOM identifies 894,890 migrants in Libya from 45 nationalities in May-July 2025 reporting period – 18 percent up on 2024

Sitemap

  • Why subscribe?
  • Terms & Conditions
  • FAQs
  • Copyright & Intellectual Property Rights
  • Subscribe now

Newsletters

    Be the first to know latest important news & events directly to your inbox.

    Sending ...

    By signing up, I agree to our TOS and Privacy Policy.

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    Welcome Back!

    Login to your account below

    Forgotten Password? Sign Up

    Create New Account!

    Fill the forms below to register

    *By registering into our website, you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
    All fields are required. Log In

    Retrieve your password

    Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

    Log In
    No Result
    View All Result
    • Login
    • Sign Up
    • Libya
    • Business
    • Advertising
    • About us
    • BusinessEye Magazine
    • Letters
    • Features
    • Why subscribe?
    • FAQs
    • Contact

    © 2022 LibyaHerald - Powered by Sparx Solutions.

    This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.