Would-be migrants and refugees in Libya are being subjected to torture, rape and even execution by the human traffickers who are holding them, a newspaper report said on Sunday, citing German diplomats posted in Africa. The diplomats' report, intended for the office of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and various ministries, spoke of "the most serious, systematic human rights violations," the paper said. Libyan coastguard patrols try to stop traffickersThe report said that the "concentration-camp-like" conditions in the "private prisons" were documented by credible photos and videos shot with cell phones. A deal with Libya similar to the one with Turkey has been mooted. More than 180,000 people came over the Mediterranean from north Africa to Italy last year, with almost 90 percent setting out from Libya.

Source: Libya Today January 29, 2017 08:15 UTC