The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has called for an urgent review of the European Union’s agreement with Libyan authorities to intercept and return migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea. Speaking at the Human Rights Council, Türk highlighted the alarming scale of “trafficking, torture, forced labor, extortion, and starvation” endured by returned migrants and asylum seekers.

“It is unconscionable that people in search of safety and dignity are suffering and dying in such unspeakable circumstances.”

The E.U. has a responsibility to act

U.N. News reported Türk calling out the E.U. arrangement with the Libyan Coast Guard.

The High Commissioner also urged a review the longstanding arrangement between the European Union and the Libyan authorities tasked with intercepting migrants who attempt to cross the Mediterranean Sea to Europe. Independent rights experts and charities involved in search and rescue operations have frequently criticized the arrangement, citing alleged reckless behaviour by the Libyan Coast Guard, including firing at or near migrant vessels and ramming boats to make them capsize, before returning the survivors to Libya.

Since 2015, the European Union has funded the Libyan Coast Guard to stem the tide of migrants from North Africa to Italy. This arrangement enables the coast guard to intercept migrants in both Libyan and international waters, often using any means necessary, before sending them back to Libya.

In the past year, over 2,400 people have died or gone missing while trying to cross the Central Mediterranean, with more than 1,300 departing from Libya.

Türk reminded Europe of “the collective responsibility under international law to save lives and prevent deaths at sea.”

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