Refugees in Libya is an organization that includes refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants, regardless of their ‘official’ status. We were born out of a need to voice the grave concerns of a large heterogenous group of people residing in Libya who are being subjected to violence and made vulnerable through innumerable means.
On the 1st of October 2021, our homes, lives and properties were destroyed in an illegal and violent raid by the Libyan authorities and militias affiliated with the Ministry of Interior. Thousands of people, children, women, men, the disabled and the sick were not spared but were rounded up in an inhumane manner, crammed into buses and military vehicles and were driven to concentration camps. The day after, we, those who survived, said 'never again.' We defied death, pain, hunger, and innumerable sufferings in exchange for our human dignity, rights, and justice. Thus, we mobilized ourselves and became refugees in Libya. We demand that:
a. Refugees are evacuated to safe countries.
b. Refugees are fairly treated by UNHCR.
c. The EU abolishes the funding of the Libyan coast guard and migrant detention centers.
d. Justice is delivered to those who have been murdered, tortured, and arbitrarily detained.
e. Libya signs the 1951 Refugee Convention.
Today, not all of us the founding members are in Libya but our main focus remains on Libya. Our movement has grown across other North African countries, namely Tunisia, Algeria, Niger, Morocco, Egypt, and Sudan, where refugees face similar problems. We have also expanded across Europe with demonstrations and presentations taking place in France, Belgium, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Among other things, we are operating a free, multilingual support hotline for refugees via WhatsApp. It provides live support in emergency cases, such as suicide threats, severe deprivation of liberty, desert dumps, housing issues, food shortages, medical assistance needs, or coordination during militia attacks.
Today Refugees in Libya is not just a word or a name but a reality which after several years of struggles of its members managed to arrive to Europe and aimed to consolidate ourselves once again.
On July 1st 2024, we officially founded Refugees in Libya as an organization and on the 19th of July 2024, we became a legally registered entity in Italy with the Tax Code: IT 91466600375.
Our statute can be found here in English: Statute