October 2021 Action
Amnesty International, Freedom United, and others have documented the pervasive violent human rights violations in Libyan detention centers for asylum seekers and by the Libyan Coastguard. And the EU has knowingly returned those seeking safety on their shores to this notoriously dangerous and cruel system and financially supported the Libyan Coastguard. Slovenia currently holds the Presidency of the European Union. Write today to Ambassador Iztok Jarc, Permanent Representative to the European Union, calling on the EU to step to human rights and compassion.
Write to:
Example Letter from Freedom United (feel free to personalize, but be sure to encourage Ambassador Jarc to use the power and influence of his position to help the EU step up for humanity!):
Modern slavery and horrific human rights abuses have persisted in Libya since the news of slave markets shocked the world two years ago. Innocent people fleeing violence at home are being intercepted at sea by the Libyan Coastguard, returned to Libya and thrown in migrant detention centers. The UN has called out the EU-funded Libyan Coastguard’s links to human trafficking networks. Furthermore, the airstrike of the Tajoura detention center, killing 53 people, should send a clear signal that these facilities are not safe in Libya’s civil war. This is why I am calling on EU member states to step up for humanity. I urge EU governments to:
- Cease funding for the Libyan Coastguard
- Push to close all migrant detention centers in Libya, release and evacuate of all men, women and children currently detained there
- Set up of a disembarkation and relocation mechanism for people rescued in the Mediterranean Sea not tied to the Libyan Coastguard