The International Organisation of Migration (IOM) and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) have called for an end to the “arbitrary detention” of refugees and migrants across Libya.
Director-General of IOM António Vitorino and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, made the call in a joint statement on Tuesday.
This followed agreement by European Union countries to offer those fleeing across the Mediterranean a safe berth through a new distribution mechanism.
Although specifics have not been worked out, media reports say 14 EU countries have reached a tentative agreement to allocate migrants and refugees more evenly across the bloc.
The UN said disagreements on how to distribute people rescued at sea led the EU to end official Mediterranean Sea patrols earlier this year, as Italy rejected having to take the bulk of those rescued.
IOM and UNHCR chiefs said the violence in Tripoli in recent weeks had made the situation more desperate than ever, and the need for action critical.
They called for a more orderly release process for those in detention, within urban areas or open centres “that allow reasonable freedom of movement, shelter, assistance and protection from harm”.
Vitorino and Grandi added that the process should include independent monitoring and regular unhindered access for humanitarian agencies”.
Considering the risks of abuse, maltreatment or death, “no one should be returned to detention centres in Libya after being intercepted or rescued at sea”, they emphasised.
They added that renewed commitment from EU states for those making the dangerous Mediterranean crossing was encouraging.
“The status quo, where search and rescue operations are often left to non-governmental organisations or commercial vessels, cannot continue,” they noted.
The UN senior officials called for a renewed commitment to an EU State search and rescue operation, “similar to programmes we have seen in recent years”.
They also underscored the need for the “crucial role” of NGOs to be acknowledged, and not criminalised or stigmatised for saving lives at sea.
