"مهاجرون للبيع"..تحقيق في تجارة تهريب المهاجرين عبر المتوسط

"Migrants for Sale": An Investigation into Human Smuggling Across the Mediterranean

The Perils of the Libyan Route

Mohammed Abu Bakr, a 24-year-old from Gujarat, Pakistan, endured nine months of suffering in Libya before being rescued by a non-governmental organization's ship along with 133 other individuals in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Mohammed recounts his ordeal to Migrant News: "I tried to cross the Mediterranean Sea every day."

Mohammed met Salman and Zain (names changed at their request),two young men in their early twenties also from Gujarat, during their time in Libya. Migrant News conducted an interview with the three young men in February on board the Geo Barents, a ship operated by Doctors Without Borders specializing in search and rescue operations.

Mohammed explains his escape from Pakistan was driven by concerns of terrorism, violence, torture, and limited economic opportunities. "This is why I decided to move to Libya and choose this path to reach Europe, as we cannot obtain a visa legally."

The three men traveled by air from Karachi to Dubai, then to Egypt, before arriving in Benghazi, Libya. They were assisted by smugglers who organized their documents and flights, seizing their passports in the process.

The Mafia and the Corruption

Mohammed details the numerous hardships he faced in Libya, including repeated beatings and inhumane detention conditions. He states: "We are human, but they don't hesitate to beat and harm us for money. They are the mafia." He adds: "Give us money, they say, or I will kill you. I will make a video and send it to Pakistan... maybe they will cut you with a knife, and you will be tortured."

The three young men from Gujarat speak of the "mafia" in Libya, referencing corrupt individuals who include human traffickers, those who trade in human beings, criminal gangs, corrupt members of the Libyan Coast Guard, alongside some military personnel, police officers, personnel at migrant detention centers, guards, and militias.

Mohammed states: "The mafia kills people... and even the Libyan police, militias, and government take money from you. Corruption is widespread in Libya... there are Pakistanis working in Libya for money... and even the Pakistani embassy and Libyan UN employees are involved." Salman and Zain nod in agreement.

Trapped and Exploited

Similar to many other Pakistanis, the three men explain they arrived in Libya through bank loans and financial assistance borrowed from relatives in Pakistan. They state: "We are very poor... if the mafia or Libyan police arrest us, will we have enough money to pay them? Will we survive?"

Mohammed recounts: "On one occasion, smugglers arranged a sea voyage for me from the city of Tobruk in northeastern Libya, near the border with Egypt. However, the Pakistani man who brought me to Libya did not give the money to the Libyans, but kept it for himself. Therefore, the Libyans prevented us from leaving. They beat us, contacted our families, and threatened them for 30 days, demanding a ransom."

He adds that he was held in a bathroom measuring approximately 10 feet by 10 feet for four days. "It was very cold, and the smugglers only provided us with a little rice. We barely managed to survive."

While awaiting a new opportunity to cross the sea, Mohammed was transferred to a garage containing 385 other migrants. He explains that the Libyan smuggler orchestrating their journey had connections with members of the military and police. "They would contact them to give them a signal if everything was alright at sea, and then we could cross." The Pakistani migrant describes the room they were forced to stay in as "crowded and dirty."

Mohammed continues: "We drank water from the bathroom and only received a handful of rice every 48 hours." However, authorities discovered the presence of undocumented migrants at the site. "They arrested us, and I was put in prison." Although he didn't specify the responsible party, Mohammed mentions that different military groups were handing him over to other groups in various cities, including Tobruk and Benghazi, as well as the Libyan police.

The Cycle of Abuse and Extortion

During their detention in Libya, the three men say they were repeatedly subjected to severe beatings, leaving scars on their bodies. Mohammed states: "If we spoke a little too loudly, we would be beaten."

Zain mentions he spent 100 days in detention in Libya, while Salman says he spent two months in prison, including a period at the Ain Zara detention center south of Tripoli. Salman explains: "When you enter prison, they demand $3,000 USD for your release."

Mohammed spent two days at the Ganfuda detention center in Benghazi, run by the government's Directorate for Combating Illegal Migration. Mohammed states: "In prison, they give you a little food, dirty water, and after a few days, you get sick, and there is no medicine. If you are not released, you might die after a month or two."

He adds: "In Benghazi prisons, you have to pay around $1,000 to $1,500 to get out, while in Tripoli, the amount is higher. Our friends are still in prison in Tripoli, and they are in very bad condition. We want the United Nations or any other organization to intervene and release them."

When asked how they managed to pay the amounts after their captors confiscated their money, Mohammed explains that he contacted his parents in Pakistan, adding: "If anyone has a phone, they hide it from the Libyan police in prison. We contact our parents to tell them we are detained, and we ask them to send money."

Our parents pay someone who works in smuggling in Pakistan or their families, and this person arranges the money for the smuggler in Libya. Afterward, you are released from prison. It's a long process."

Mohammed continues his story: "When the police arrested us, they took our documents, like my passport, and sold them to the mafia for 1,000 Libyan dinars (190 euros). In this way, they could make money." He adds: "The Libyan person we pay to help us cross the sea sends the money to the police to arrange our release and pay the mafia."

Mohammed mentions another way the police make money. Smugglers, those who organize our journey across the Mediterranean Sea, collaborate with the Libyan Navy [Coast Guard]. Smugglers pay them to not intercept us. Some forces even come into international waters with the Libyan Navy," but he doesn't elaborate further.

The Conspiracy of Corruption

He then recounts the story of a Pakistani man who managed to cross the sea to Italy with the help of smugglers from the town of Zuwara in northwestern Libya, near the border with Tunisia. After their boat drifted at sea for two hours, Libyan coast guard forces spotted them, started firing at the group of migrants, and then stopped the boat, according to Mohammed. He says: "The smuggler, a Libyan, gave them some money."

According to Mohammed, bribes between smugglers, migrants, and the Libyan Coast Guard can happen directly at sea. One Coast Guard member might contact a smuggler on land and demand payment to avoid intercepting a migrant boat.

Mohammed adds: "One officer might be connected to the smugglers. When he's on duty, he only contacts them. It's all planned. But if there is another officer, they might arrest you."

Salman, Zain, and Mohammed confirm that corruption permeates multiple levels of power and influence in Libya, from detention center guards to government officials. They highlight the spread of corruption, encompassing local employees affiliated with the United Nations and the Pakistani embassy in Tripoli.

Mohammed states: "The Libyans working for the United Nations are corrupt, and so are the staff at the Pakistani embassy." He points out that this involves the involvement of locally appointed Libyan employees in financial misconduct when dealing with undocumented migration issues.

Zain, Salman, and Mohammed couldn't pinpoint the specific UN agency they were referring to. However, both the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are among the most active bodies in Libya regarding migrant issues.

Spokespersons for both organizations denied to Migrant News any complaints regarding such allegations against their Libyan staff members.

Salman states that the Pakistani embassy "took 1,500 euros from each person from the United Nations to deport them to Pakistan... but we don't know if they actually deported them."

According to Mohammed, the Pakistani embassy informs the Libyan individual working for the UN that they have deported a certain number of migrants. In turn, this Libyan employee reports these deportations to the UN. However, Mohammed notes that the numbers provided by the embassy or the UN regarding the number of individuals deported are not accurate and do not reflect reality. "The numbers might be lower than what is reported."

Mohammed confirms that "the Pakistani embassy is in contact with Pakistani smugglers working in Libya and Pakistan. He indicates that Libyan workers in the UN and staff at the Pakistani embassy are involved in corruption," but he provides no further details.

In this context, Mohammed clarifies: "Everyone knows that the ambassador is aware of everything happening here in Libya, not just lower-level staff. I believe that if Pakistani civilians know what is happening, it is impossible for the ambassador to be unaware."

Limited Relief and Unanswered Questions

As part of voluntary humanitarian returns, the International Organization for Migration (IOM),a UN agency, organizes free flights for migrants in Libya who wish to return to their home countries, using chartered or commercial flights in coordination with Libyan authorities and countries of return.

The organization also provides consular support through field visits to urban centers and detention centers, or through its office in Tripoli. Additionally, the agency allows stranded migrants to communicate with their embassy representatives online.

The Pakistani embassy in Tripoli and Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to Migrant News' request for comment. The European Union Border and Coast Guard Agency Frontex stated it could not provide any comment when asked about the financial extortion of migrants, their detention conditions in Libya, and human smuggling operations in the Mediterranean Sea.

The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) also did not respond to testimonies regarding abuse, violence, deprivation, and extortion in detention centers, raising serious concerns about the plight of migrants. These testimonies also highlight allegations of collusion between some local UN employees and smugglers exploiting migrants.

An international organization staff member, requesting anonymity, stated: "I can't even imagine that, especially when I speak on behalf of my organization. We have no connection to unofficial detention."

A spokesperson for the UNHCR stated to Migrant News that the UNHCR does not participate in any evacuation programs to Pakistan and is not aware of any allegations related to this. Meanwhile, another spokesperson from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) denied hearing about these allegations when asked about them.

According to the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),the UNHCR operates in Libya in cooperation with the local UN team and non-governmental organizations, relying on official approvals to carry out its activities.

The spokesperson also indicated that the UNHCR is aware of the violations faced by refugees and migrants on the central Mediterranean route, emphasizing the need to respect international humanitarian law, human rights, and the rights of refugees and asylum seekers.

Claire Healy, the coordinator of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime's Migrant Smuggling Observatory, told Migrant News that she had not heard "of any cases of corruption or abuse of power among UN staff in Libya."

Salman, when asked if he and Mohammed and Zain would head to Europe via Libya if they knew the realities of the Mediterranean route, quickly responded: "No, no, no."

Mohammed adds: "We wouldn't have left Pakistan if we had known the situation would be like this in Libya. The smugglers are like mafia, the police are too, and the army is too. But we came here, and now we know how things work."

(This article is part of the "Migrants for Sale" series based on an investigation conducted between February and May 2024 in Germany, Italy, and the central Mediterranean Sea. The investigation included a period on board the Doctors Without Borders search and rescue ship Geo Barents, from January 30 to February 10. Migrant News was unable to independently verify the personal testimonies provided by the migrants.)

**Translated into Arabic by: Nada Farooq

Sugi van Bronarsum - Migrant News 2024**