Human Rights Watch is calling on Libyan officials to halt what it describes as a wave of arbitrary arrests and unlawful mass expulsions after anti-migrant demonstrations swept parts of the country on June 4.
The rights group says the protests — ignited after months of inflammatory rhetoric from leaders in both eastern and western Libya — have produced a rare alignment between rival authorities who, it alleges, have encouraged xenophobia and overseen sweeping roundups. “Rival Libyan authorities have united in fueling xenophobic protests and subjecting migrants to mass arrests, arbitrary detention in inhumane conditions, and collective expulsions,” Hanan Salah, HRW’s associate Middle East and North Africa director, said.
With thousands reportedly held in detention and facing an immediate risk of deportation, Salah warned the scope and immediacy of the abuses demand urgent action. “… the scale of the abuses, and the urgency of stopping them, could not be clearer,” she said.
