On 10 December, German foundation Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung published an article by Linn Jansen titled ‘Libya’s Coast Guard: Europe’s Deadly Gatekeepers in the Mediterranean’. The article describes the Libyan Coast Guard as ‘people catchers’, based on claims that those they fish out of the Mediterranean have become victims of illegal repatriation. Landing in what have been dubbed ‘reception camps’, these refugees are then met with inhumane conditions and human rights violations, including human trafficking, forced labour, and hunger. This, the article claims, is carried out with impunity from government authorities and is being funded by the EU.
Read the full article here.