The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on yesterday said that 70 migrants have been returned to Libya by the Libyan Coast Guard.
“70 persons were returned tonight to Tripoli by the Libyan Coast Guard. The group embarked yesterday night from Zliten area, 160 Km east of Tripoli,” UNHCR Libya said in its tweet.
On June 16, the joint press release issued by UNHCR and IOM says,”The two organizations reiterate that no one should be returned to Libya after being rescued at sea. Under international maritime law, rescued individuals should be disembarked at a place of safety. IOM and UNHCR staff are in Libya, providing life-saving humanitarian assistance. However, the agencies reiterate that the basic preconditions to ensure the safety and protection of rescued migrants and refugees post-disembarkation are lacking; therefore, Libya cannot be considered a safe place.”
The Libyan Coast Guard has returned more than 13,000 people to Libya this year, already surpassing the number of people intercepted or rescued and disembarked in all of 2020 expressed it on that press release.
