عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Migrants Complain of Physical Violence at Libya Detention Centers

Migrants taken to a Gathering and Departure Facility in Tripoli. Photo: Libyan Authorities
Migrants taken to a Gathering and Departure Facility in Tripoli. Photo: Libyan Authorities
TT
20
TT

Migrants Complain of Physical Violence at Libya Detention Centers

Migrants taken to a Gathering and Departure Facility in Tripoli. Photo: Libyan Authorities
Migrants taken to a Gathering and Departure Facility in Tripoli. Photo: Libyan Authorities

The numbers of people held in detention centers in Tripoli, Libya, has tripled in the last five days, after at least 5,000 migrants and refugees were detained during violent mass arrests across the city since October 1, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has said.

MSF provides medical care in three detention centers in Tripoli and witnessed many of those detained being held in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions without access to sufficient food, water, shelter, or medical care.

MSF called on the Libyan authorities on Wednesday to stop the indiscriminate mass arrests of vulnerable migrants and refugees, and to release all people unlawfully held in detention centers.

Many of those captured reported experiencing severe physical violence, including sexual violence, during the raids on their homes. One young migrant was killed and at least five others sustained gunshot wounds, according to the United Nations.

“Armed and masked security men raided our house where I was living with three other people,” said Abdo whose name was changed to protect anonymity. “They tied our hands behind our backs and dragged us out of the house. We were pleading for them to give us time to collect our belongings and important papers, but they wouldn’t listen. We were beaten in the process. Some people were beaten on their legs and suffered fractures.

“They hit me on the head with the butt of a gun and I suffered serious injuries—the doctor had to stitch the wound and wrap it with 10 different dressings. The masked men led us all into vehicles, then we found ourselves in Ghout Sha’al detention center [also known as Al-Mabani].

"I was there for four days and experienced a very difficult time, seeing helpless people being beaten with weapons. On the fourth day, I managed to escape. I am free now.”

MSF’s operations manager for Libya Ellen van der Velden said that instead of increasing the number of people held in detention centers, the authorities should make efforts to end arbitrary detention and close the dangerous facilities.

“Migrants and refugees are living in danger and are trapped in Libya with very limited options for a way out as humanitarian flights have been unjustifiably suspended for the second time this year.”

Most Viewed

 
Arab World

Thomas Barrack: Syria’s Joining Abraham Accords ‘Could Take Time’

HANDOUT - 19 June 2025, Lebanon, Beirut: US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during a press conference in Beirut. Photo: Hassan Ibrahim/Lebanese Parliament/dpa
HANDOUT - 19 June 2025, Lebanon, Beirut: US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during a press conference in Beirut. Photo: Hassan Ibrahim/Lebanese Parliament/dpa
TT
20
TT

Thomas Barrack: Syria’s Joining Abraham Accords ‘Could Take Time’

HANDOUT - 19 June 2025, Lebanon, Beirut: US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during a press conference in Beirut. Photo: Hassan Ibrahim/Lebanese Parliament/dpa
HANDOUT - 19 June 2025, Lebanon, Beirut: US Special Envoy to Syria Tom Barrack speaks during a press conference in Beirut. Photo: Hassan Ibrahim/Lebanese Parliament/dpa

Syria and Israel are engaged in “meaningful” talks through the United States that aim to restore calm along their border, according to Thomas Barrack, US President Donald Trump’s envoy to Syria.

Barrack said in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday that the administration wanted Syria to join the Abraham Accords, but “this could take time” because Syria’s new President Ahmed al-Sharaa could face resistance at home.

“He cannot be seen by his own people to be forced or coerced into the Abraham Accords,” Barrack said. “So he has to work slowly.”

Trump tapped Barrack, an old friend and private equity investor, to help realize his vision for the Middle East, which the administration hopes will foster less conflict and more prosperity.

Trump made clear during his Mideast visit in May that lucrative business deals in sectors including arms and artificial intelligence were his priority, and his decision to bomb nuclear enrichment facilities in Iran last month showed his support for Israel and willingness to use force against American foes.

Barrack called the US administration’s approach a departure from previous “failed” American attempts at “nation building” and from past efforts to shape how other governments rule.

Much of Barrack’s work has focused on pushing Syria and Lebanon, both recovering from destructive wars, toward solving their own problems while rallying support from Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and other regional partners.

It is unclear whether Trump’s focus on prioritizing economic development over vocal support for democracy will fare better than the efforts of previous administrations to address some of the Middle East’s most bedeviling problems, according to The New York Times.

Barrack, in his first diplomatic job at age 78, has been working his relationships with heads of state and other power brokers. He said that having a direct line to the White House and to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the fact that the administration had “little patience for the region’s resistance to helping itself,” had helped.

Much of Barrack’s effort has focused on Syria, where the fledgling government of al-Sharaa is trying to rebuild the country after a 13-year civil war.

Trump signed an executive order this week aimed at ending decades of US sanctions on Syria.

Barrack said that instead of making strict demands, the administration had laid out objectives for the Syrian government to work toward while Washington monitored its progress.

Those indications would include finding a peaceful accommodation with Israel; integrating the US-backed, Kurdish-led militia that controls Syria’s northeast; and investigating the fates of Americans who went missing during the war.

Progress on democratization and inclusive government will not happen quickly, Barrack said, and are not part of the US criteria.

American officials have expressed concerns about the thousands of fighters who came to Syria from abroad to take part in the war, mostly as part of militant groups.

Barrack said Washington realized that Syria could not expel those who remained and that they could pose a threat to the new government if they were excluded. So the Trump administration instead expects transparency about the roles they are given.

Lifting sanctions to encourage changes worked better than keeping them in place until Syria met specific demands, Barrack said.

“It is a brilliant way to accomplish the same thing, and these roll-on, roll-off sanctions have never worked anyway,” he said.

The new Syrian government’s relations have been tense with Israel, whose military has moved into southern Syria and often carried out operations there. The talks aim to quiet the conflict along the border while laying the groundwork for better relations.