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Free Migrants Detained in Libya, Human Rights Officials Say

VOA News

   Two senior human rights officials say they want the 5,600 refugees and
   migrants in Libyan detention centers freed and their protection
   guaranteed.

   U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and International
   Organization for Migration DirectorAntonio Vitorinoissued a joint
   statement Thursday.They saidif Libya cannot guarantee safety for the
   migrants, they need to be evacuated to other countries "where
   accelerated settlement is needed."

   The two officials described Libya as a place where "suffering and risk
   of human rights abuses continue" for refugees."A safe, managed process
   of release with proper information on available assistance is essential
   for all."

   Grandi and Vitorino also said migrants picked up in the Mediterranean
   Sea must no longer be sent back to Libya, as it cannot be considered a
   safe port.

   They pointed to last week's airstrike on a detention center near
   Tripoli, which killed more than 50, as one of the perils faced by
   refugees returned to Libya.

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