662 illegal migrants rescued off Libyan coast: UN agency
Up to 662 illegal migrants were rescued off the coast of Libya in the past week, the International Organisation for Migration said.
The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said that it was distressed at the killing of an asylum-seeker in the Libyan capital of Tripoli.
“UNHCR is deeply distressed to learn of the death of a 25-year-old Sudanese asylum-seeker in Tripoli last night,” the Agency said in a statement.
“According to reports received, the victim had been beaten and shot before being transported to one city hospital by a group of masked armed men. He was transferred to another hospital, where he passed away,” it said.
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The UNHCR called for an investigation into the killing of the Sudanese asylum-seeker and for the perpetrators to be held accountable.
It also called on the Libyan authorities to “respect at all times the human rights and dignity of asylum-seekers and refugees, stop their arrests and release those detained”.
The Libyan authorities recently carried out raids and arrests against illegal migrants in different parts of the capital city.
Around 751 women and 255 children were among the thousands of migrants and asylum seekers caught up in recent mass arrests, according to Unicef.
Libya has been suffering insecurity and chaos since the fall of the late leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, making the North African country a preferred point of departure for illegal migrants who want to cross the Mediterranean Sea to European shores.
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