10 Italian MPs vote against funding for the Libyan Coast Guard

Ten Italian legislators voted against financing a bilateral assistance mission to the Libyan coast guard, citing the coast guard’s support for human trafficking and the fact that Libyan detention facilities were riddled with human rights abuses.

“The extent and severity of systematic human rights abuses against migrants and refugees in Libya have been proven without question,” the ten lawmakers said in a statement.

They went on to say that individuals detained in Libyan detention centres face unparalleled brutality, including being tortured, raped, murdered, or sold as slaves.”

They alluded to “collusion, and often intervention, by the Libyan Coast Guard,” referring to the criminal system that handles people trafficking “since this case has been the subject of many investigations by the Italian court

According to the statement, the activities of the Libyan Coast Guard, which is financed by Italy, cannot be regarded an economic contribution or profit from rescue operations. In contrast, the process for detecting illegal immigration activities was often marred by breaches and a disregard for fundamental standards.

They concluded by emphasizing that continuing direct and indirect assistance for the deportation of men, women, and children to Libyan detention centres constituted a breach of international human rights treaties.