Since June 30, more than 250 Eritrean citizens are detained in a detention centre in southern Libya waiting for forced repatriation to their country of origin. In the last two weeks, they have been forced to fill in repatriation forms given to the prison authorities by the Eritrean Embassy in Libya.

According to NGO’s working on place, “those who refused to co-operate have been physically abused, some kept in solitary confinement, and some without food and water. As if this torture and flagrant abuse of human rights were not enough the guards have taken to beating up the remaining detainees and ordered them to remain in their cells. They have not been given food or water since. Some of these were taken to hospital. The majority who sustained injuries were not given medical attention.”

 These people are just asylum seekers who had any possibility of seeking for international protection and send them to Libya it means condemn them to death and the world is just watching it without taking a serious and urgent action.

Members of the European Left and of United Left / Nordic Green Left from the European Parliament made yesterday an appeal to an emergency meeting of the EU Commissioner and representatives of the competent Libyan authorities before the European Parliament's Committees dealing with Civil Liberties, Human Rights and the Delegation for relations with the Maghreb countries.

Rui Tavares, Marie-Christine Vergiat and Miguel Portas reaffirmed that "this is a matter of life and death; these refugees have already been mistreated and may face further abuses. A lack of action on the part of our Parliament would be unforgivable."