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Writer's pictureRefugees in Libya
Nov 24 min read

From Tripoli to Geneva

UNFAIR – the UN Refusal Agency: Report of two days of protest in Geneva


This weekend, on the 75th International Human Rights Day of the United Nations, a solidarity alliance formed by ‘Refugees in Libya’ and ‘Solidarity with Refugees in Libya’ met in Geneva, in front of the UNHCR headquarters to call for justice and fair treatment.

The group demonstrated looking at the building, in which officials of the so-called Refugees Agency take decisions about the lives of millions of vulnerable people around the world every day. 

 

While the first article of the UN Declaration of Human Rights says: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights", people in Libya had to stand up and protest for more than 100 days as the UNHCR systematically ignored their demands to be recognized as human beings and evacuated to safe countries.

 

This weekend, just over a year since the protests in Tripoli began, the few who made it to Europe mobilised to take the protest from Tripoli to Geneva. This time they were to be heard! The mobilisation started with a press conference in front of the UNHCR headquarters on the 9th of December denouncing all the injustices ignored and even committed by the UN Refugee Agency, followed by a sit-in with multiple contributions by affected people and concluded with a march through the city of Geneva the day after. 

David Yambio was the first to speak: "I am here today representing the thousands of people still locked up in camps in Libya. We are talking about people regularly registered as refugees with UNHCR who have been prevented from fair access to the asylum process”.


His account was followed by the fellow campaigner Lam Magok, who was trapped in Libya for five years: "We are human beings like everyone else. We are like Ukrainians. There are no A and B migrants''.


Azeb Ambessa of the ‘Solidarity with Refugees in Libya’ and ‘United4Eritrea’ networks explained that "The transnational movement was born shortly after the start of the protest in Tripoli to amplify the voices and demands of Refugees in Libya”, and adds that “The European Union’s border regime is complicit as financier in  torture, killings and rapes that take place every day in the detention centers in Libya”.


The press conference was closed with a contribution of lawyer and activist Muhammad al-Kashef of the ‘Solidarity with Refugees in Libya’ network as well as co-founder of Refugees' Solidarity Movement in Alexandria, Egypt. He scandalised how more than 70 years after the signing of the Geneva Convention, the UNHCR had failed its mission "not only in Libya, but also in Sudan, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Turkey and even in the Greek islands'”.


Following the press conference, a small delegation of the alliance was invited to speak to Alex Tayler, the Senior Liaison Officer for the Middle East and North Africa at the UN. In the conversation David Yambio and Muhammad Al-Kashef were stressing the demands of the campaign – to be found here: https://unfairagency.org/unhcr/

 

We brought these demands to the streets in Geneva, while many of our comrades in Libya and people on the move risk their lives to claim their basic human rights. We are struggling together and we will continue until our demands are heard and put into practice by the UNHCR.

 

In spite of low temperatures and wet feet the sit-in was continued until legally obliged to leave the premises. The evening was sparked with interventions from the Sudanese, Eritrean and Afghan communities stressing their horrendous living conditions and neglect of rights through EUropean authorities. The evening closed with the screening of videos shot during the 100-day struggle in Tripoli and the short film "ABBAS" by Sudanese filmmaker and activist Mustafa Zeyo.


The protest continued with a strong march on the following day, 10th of December and the United Nations ‘75th International Human Rights Day’ from ‘Place des Nations’. The crowd crossed the city shouting "“We are here and we will fight – Seeking asylum is everybody’s right!”" and "UN Agencies – Stop ghosting refugees” until arriving at Place de la Navigation, in the middle of the Paquis neighbourhood where 80% of houses are inhabited by ‘foreigners’. Here the demonstration ended with several artistic and musical performances and a promise to this only being the start for something bigger to come.

Our struggle, in fact, does not end here. We will continue to expose the violations of the UNHCR, the European Union and its Member States. We will continue to expose racist and criminal border regimes that have caused thousands of deaths at Europe's internal and external borders. To fight the birth-lottery privilege and to stand together for the Freedom of Movement for everyone.

 

Find the recorded live-stream of the event in our Youtube-Channel:

 

Media Coverage:

 

Federica Marsi, Aljazeera [EN]

 

 

 

 

Pietro Barabino, Il Fatto Quotidiano [IT]

 

Melting Pot  [IT]

 

Pitt von Bebenburg, Frankfurter Rundschau [DE]

 

 

 

Sarah Heinzmann, Rabe-Info [DE]

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