In October 2025, two prominent human‑rights lawyers published the names of European leaders previously reported in 2019 to the International Criminal Court—a submission that at the time did not list individual suspects—for crimes against humanity linked to EU border‑externalisation policies and cooperation with the Libyan Coast Guard.
This article examines the human rights abuses faced by migrants in Libya and the broader role of EU-Libya cooperation in migration control. It highlights arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, and exploitative conditions endured by migrants along the Central Mediterranean route. The piece argues for a reassessment of EU policies to ensure migration management does not enable serious human rights violations.
Each year, thousands of migrants risk everything to cross the Mediterranean. Yet before they ever reach the sea, many find themselves trapped in Libya, caught between war, poverty, and tightening borders. This article looks beyond migration statistics to expose the human cost of the EU’s approach to managing migration through Libya.
