A joint investigative report released by the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the UN Human Rights Office has exposed harrowing realities regarding the treatment of migrants and asylum seekers, including young girls. The document details a litany of grave violations, including extrajudicial killings, systemic torture, sexual violence, and forced labor. Consequently, the UN has issued an urgent appeal to the international community to suspend the return of intercepted migrants to Libya until substantial guarantees for the protection of human rights and human dignity are firmly established.
United Nations: Report Documents Systematic Abuses Against Migrants in Libya
This documentation covers the period from January 2024 to December 2025, drawing on testimonies from approximately 100 migrants and refugees representing 16 nations across Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia. These interviews, conducted both within Libya and abroad, provide a profound evidentiary basis for understanding the trajectory of abuses faced by those fleeing conflict and extreme poverty. The report highlights how these individuals, seeking safety in Europe, find themselves trapped in a cycle of exploitation and violence upon reaching Libyan soil.
Since the collapse of the previous regime in 2011, Libya has evolved into a primary transit hub for Mediterranean migration. However, the report asserts that the institutional schism between the country’s eastern and western administrations since 2014 has fostered a security vacuum, enabling human trafficking syndicates to flourish. It specifically critiqued the European Union and its member states for their role in financing and training the Libyan Coast Guard, whose primary function has been the interception of vessels and the forced return of migrants to detention centers characterized by deplorable conditions.
The UN findings point toward a disturbing collaboration between organized criminal smuggling networks and certain official entities. Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, noted during a briefing in Geneva that migrants are frequently abducted, separated from their families, and detained at gunpoint without any legal recourse. While the Libyan mission in Geneva has yet to offer an official response, the Government of National Unity has previously denied the existence of any state-sanctioned or systemic abuse against the migrant population.
Migrants in Libya: a tragic scenario of violations and violence
In its conclusion, the report underscores the imperative of maintaining search-and-rescue operations in the Mediterranean to prevent further loss of life while strictly adhering to the international legal principle of “non-refoulement.” It calls for an international policy shift that ensures migrants are not returned to environments where they face arbitrary detention or mistreatment. Observers emphasize that resolving this humanitarian crisis necessitates a comprehensive strategy focused on political stability, the dismantling of trafficking networks, and the establishment of safe, legal migration pathways to replace the current perilous routes.
