Libyan Ambassador furious with slave auction report
Bame Piet | Friday December 1, 2017 16:07
Hamid said that the report was false and intended to tarnish the image of Libya which is struggling to recover from 2011 uprising that resulted in the country’s bombing campaign by NATO and subsequent toppling of long time ruler and dictator Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.
Facing a serious challenge from IS militants and security loopholes, Hamid said that Libya is very big country with a coastline of 200 km which is difficult for the country’s military to manage. Human traffickers, he said, are using the country as a transit route for migrants going to Europe.
“What appeared in the investigative report by the American based CNN appears to be a process of buying and selling or auction of slaves. It is a criminal process conducted by local and international gangs.
We categorically reject and condemn this conduct, whether it is slave trade as interpreted by CNN or an operation of human trafficking as preliminary investigation suggests.”
He said that the government National Accord of Libya has ordered relevant organs to investigate the incident and reveal the truth about the report and bring the culprits to justice. He said that his country complies with international conventions and charters on human rights and would not allow slave trade to occur in the country.
He added that what appears in the report appears to be a human traffickers looking for transport money for international gangs that operate in between Libya and Europe.
He said that the money quoted in the footage is far below what a herdboy, domestic worker or workshop attendant is paid in the country.
“It is violation of Libyan laws. In case it is confirmed to be a case human trafficking or slave trade it is a crime against Libya and its sovereignty by way of illegal entry into its territory and crossing, and whoever is the perpetrator will be prosecuted. There is a difference between slave trade and human trafficking.
Slave trade is a crime against humanity and we condemn it. Human trafficking involves crossing borders and it is a crime against geographical borders of the state. Slave trade is based on exploitation of mankind whilst human trafficking is based on transportation and moving people from one point to another”.
He said that slave trade can happen in one place whilst trafficking involves crossing borders. He said slave trade is compulsory whilst trafficking is voluntary.
The Ambassador said that cross-border crime syndicates are taking advantage of the situation in Libya and exploiting all security loopholes to use the country for all forms of criminal activities.
He accused the international media of using violent video footage captured in troubled countries like Iraq and Syria and claiming that they were taken in Libya. He said that the country is winning its war with IS and will soon be back on track.