UN says dozens of bodies discovered in a section of Libyan capital run by armed militia
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk said he was shocked by revelations that gross rights violations were uncovered at detention facilities in Tripoli run by the Stabilization Support Authority, or SSA, an armed group whose commander Abdel-Ghani al-Kikli, was killed in militia fighting in mid-May.
The rights office said it later received information on the excavation of 10 charred bodies at the SSA headquarters in the Abu Salim neighborhood and another 67 bodies discovered in refrigerators in the Abu Salim and Al Khadra hospitals. It also cited reports of a burial site at the Tripoli Zoo that was run by the SSA.
The office said the identities of the bodies were not immediately clear.
'Our worst held fears are being confirmed: dozens of bodies have been discovered at these sites, along with the discovery of suspected instruments of torture and abuse, and potential evidence of extrajudicial killings,' Türk said in a statement.
Türk called on authorities to seal the area to preserve evidence and said there needed to be accountability for the killings. He said the U.N. should be granted access to the sites to document rights violations.
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Daily Mirror
2 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Brit mum arrested in Mauritius with son, 6, is being held in hellhole prison
Natashia Artug, who lives in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, was arrested in Mauritius after an estimated £1.6 million worth of cannabis was reportedly found inside luggage A British mum accused of trying to smuggle cannabis into Mauritius inside her six-year-old son's suitcase is being held there in a notorious hellhole prison, it is reported. It is said Natashia Artug faces waiting more than a year on remand in the womens' section of Beau Bassin Central Prison just outside the island capital Port Louis. This period is understood to be before Artug, 35, is even brought to trial. The jail, home to 135 women inmates, has been described as being filthy with prisoners often having to spend hours outside "under the scorching sun". Artug, who is a mother of two, was arrested with six other Britons and her Romanian boyfriend after they allegedly tried to smuggle 161kg of cannabis worth £1.6million into Mauritius. However, she had been coerced into travelling to the island nation by people who threatened her and her family, said London-based non-profit Justice Abroad, who is representing the woman. After the group's British Airways flight from Gatwick touched down at the island's Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport last month, it is said cannabis weighing 14kg was found wrapped in cellophane packages and stuffed inside Artug's six-year-old son's wheelie case. And so authorities in Mauritius are understood to therefore be treating Artug's case with utmost seriousness. The mum, though, is being held alongside four other British women, all arrested with her and all from Cambridgeshire. The defendant was reportedly initially held under guard with her son in the headquarters of the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit in Mauritius so they could be together. However, she is believed to have been transferred to the Beau Bassin Central Prison after her son's father reportedly flew over to collect him and took him back to the UK. Artug, from Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, is yet to comment publicly about her experience. Prison conditions in Mauritius were slammed in a 2014 report, which said they "did not always meet international standards" and drug abuse had been reported in jails across the island. More than half of the women at Beau Bassin Central Prison are believed to be foreign with the majority serving sentences or on remand for drug offences. Yet the Human Rights report by the US State Department highlighted a "lack of hygiene, sanitation, and basic medical care" as "problems" at the clink. In a further comment on the jail, it added: "Given the lack of administrative remedies, inmates' relatives sometimes turned to private radio stations to denounce hygiene conditions or other problems." The document, though, did not specify whether the issues related to the womens' section of the jail or the far larger mens' section. It described, however, record-keeping in prisons on the island as "adequate" with inmates able to have visitors, submit complaints and follow religious observance. In relation to the case, a Foreign Office spokesman has said: "We are supporting a British national detained in Mauritius and are in contact with the local authorities."
Daily Mail
3 hours ago
- Daily Mail
British mother who smuggled £1.6m of cannabis into Mauritius hidden in her six-year-old son's suitcase faces a year in hellhole prison BEFORE her trial
A British mother who is accused of trying to smuggle cannabis into Mauritius inside her six-year-old son's suitcase is being held in a notorious hell hole prison on the holiday island, MailOnline can reveal. Natashia Artug, 35, faces waiting more than a year on remand in the womens' section of Beau Bassin Central Prison just outside the island capital Port Louis before she is brought to trial. The jail with around 135 women inmates has been described as being filthy with prisoners often having to spend hours outside 'under the scorching sun'. Mother-of-two Natashia from Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, was arrested with six other Britons and her Romanian boyfriend after they allegedly tried to smuggle 161kgs of cannabis worth £1.6million into Mauritius. But the authorities are said to be treating her case with particular seriousness because cannabis weighing 14kg was found wrapped in cellophane packages and stuffed inside her six-year-old son's wheelie case. The shock discovery was made after the group's British Airways flight from Gatwick touched down at the island's Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport last month. Natashia is being held alongside four other British women Lily Watson, 20, Shannon Ellen Josie Holness, 29, Laura Amy Kappen 28, and Shona Campbell, 32, who are all from Cambridgeshire and were arrested with her, according to local newspaper Le Mauricien. She was initially held under guard with her son in the headquarters of the Anti-Drug and Smuggling Unit in Mauritius so they could be together. But she is believed to have been transferred to the Beau Bassin Central Prison after her son's father reportedly flew over to collect him and took him back to the UK. More than half the women in the jail are said to be foreign with the majority serving sentences or on remand for drug offences. A Human Rights report by the US State Department in 2014 highlighted prison conditions in Mauritius, saying they 'did not always meet international standards' and drug abuse had been reported in jails across the island. The report said media reports had highlighted a 'lack of hygiene, sanitation, and basic medical care' as 'problems' at Beau Bassin Central Prison. In a further comment on the jail, it added: 'Given the lack of administrative remedies, inmates' relatives sometimes turned to private radio stations to denounce hygiene conditions or other problems.' The report did not specify whether the issues related to the womens' section of the jail or the far larger mens' section. It did, however, describe record keeping in prisons on Mauritius as 'adequate' with inmates able to have visitors, submit complaints and follow religious observance The report also said there were no reports of threats to life or health, food shortages, poor ventilation, extreme temperatures or lighting problems in the nation's other prison facilities. A Russian woman whose sister was being held on drug smuggling charges at Beau Bassin Central Prison highlighted her fears about the jail in a Reddit post. The woman said conditions in the prison were potentially worsening her sister's long standing medical conditions, and her complaints to authorities in Mauritius were being ignored. She wrote: 'Sometime I can communicate with she (sic), and she always complain on conditions of imprisonment. 'She doesn't have normal access to medicines, clean drinking water. Sanitary conditions are terrible. She often hear verbal harassment and threats, sounds like 'You'll die here'. Abuse on racial prejudice. 'Most of the time the prisoners are in the prison yard under the scorching sun. Foreign prisoners are not allowed to wear hats.' The Association for the Prevention of Torture based in Geneva, Switzerland, highlighted conditions for women inmates in Mauritius in a more recent report in August last year. It made a series of recommendations including calls for the renovation of the kitchen with a larger cold room for vegetables and fruits, more fridges, and addition psychiatrists to provide mental health care for inmates The report also said authorities should provide protective gear such as gloves, aprons and rubber boots for women cleaning shower units. It further called for more Skype calls to be made available for foreign prisoners to keep in touch with family and friends with 'income generating opportunities' for women to pay for calls. The UK Government website also talks of prison conditions in Mauritius, saying: 'Imprisonment is generally in small cells with a number of other detainees. 'Mauritius is one of the rare countries where time out of cell is from 6.15am to 5pm. Prison officials will normally speak English to British prisoners. 'Many other detainees can also speak English although most of them will speak in the local language (Creole). While in detention, detainees can have access to the prison library where English books are available. 'All prisons on the island are Human Rights standards compliant. Civil Society and NGOs are widely involved in assisting at prisons. The prison has both an internal and external inspectorate.' The website added that there were opportunities to work and study in Mauritius prisons with a range of options such as gas welding, metal fabrication, basketry, woodwork, pastry baking. Hairdressing, garment making and beautycare are also available in the womens' prison. Natashia's Romanian boyfriend Florian Lisman, 38, and window fitter Patrick Wilsdon, 21, of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, who were also arrested at the airport are in a mens' prison. Mauritian authorities have stated that they believe the group were all acting as drug mules, hired to bring drugs on to the island. Natashia who is said to be 'vulnerable' claims she was coerced into travelling to Mauritius by drug traffickers who threatened her family. Non-profit group Justice Abroad said she did not know the bags she was carrying contained cannabis. She has launched a crowdfunder appealing for £5,000 to fight the serious charges. Justice Abroad said mother-of-two Natashia suffered from fibromyalgia and was currently attending university. They added: 'This case raises serious concerns about the exploitation of a young mother by a criminal gang. 'She now faces criminal trial in Mauritius separated from her children and without the resources to mount an adequate defence and to put together the evidence of the duress and exploitation.' Authorities on Mauritius have branded the use of a child in the audacious drug smuggling plot as 'outrageous and inhumane'. They added: 'This is one of the most revolting cases we have encountered in recent years.' Patrick's mother Carly Wilsdon previously said that he had gone to Mauritius after being being offered a 'free holiday'. She said: 'He wouldn't have known what he was doing because he wouldn't get involved in drugs. 'The person who told them about this free holiday is one of his circle of friends but now he has disappeared. 'He told them that he had been before and that they would meet someone there. There was no mention of drugs. 'It is so hard. He could be looking at 30 years. He has never been in trouble and only been abroad once before. 'I missed a call from him on the day they arrived. I thought it was to show me the apartment. I can't believe what's happened.' Speaking outside her home last month, a relative of Laura Kappen said: 'She is not a bad kid. She's never done anything wrong in her life but I guess she has done something foolish. Someone must have enticed them with money.' A relative of Shona Campbell said: 'It is really difficult. She's got two little kids and they don't know. It's horrible.' A Foreign Office spokesman told MailOnline: 'We are supporting a British national detained in Mauritius and are in contact with the local authorities.'
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- The Guardian
Libya is ready to work with European governments to stem the migrant flow
The ambition of Germany's chancellor, Friedrich Merz, to join the UK-France migrant returns agreement overlooks one of the most important changes that would substantially reduce the flow of irregular migration to Europe: a pact with the internationally recognised government of national unity (GNU) in Libya (Merz calls for UK, Germany and France to align on migration and defence, 17 July). European governments should be working ever more closely with the GNU in Tripoli to help deliver national sovereignty in Libya, so that the UN-backed government can ensure the rule of law, and – to borrow one of Sir Keir Starmer's favoured mantras – 'smash the gangs' that traffic in human lives at source. Any proposal that fails to support the GNU in tackling the criminal networks that drive people- smuggling into Europe through Libya – including the Anglo-French 'one in, one out' scheme, and German participation – is missing a chance to deliver significant EllafiMinister of communication and political affairs, Libya Have an opinion on anything you've read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.
