Ahmad 
A confidential United Nations report revealed that border guard forces in Tunisia arrested migrants and handed them over to the Libyan border guards, where they are subjected to horrific violations.
The report, dated January 23, stated that hundreds of migrants were arrested in Tunisia as part of a wave of arrests and expelled to Libya during the second half of last year.
The report published by Reuters was based on interviews with 18 people who had previously been detained, in addition to photographic evidence documenting torture.
The report explained that Libyan officials are asking for thousands of dollars in exchange for the release of some migrants, noting that this situation is in the interest of “those who exploit the vulnerable, including human traffickers.”
Tariq Lamloum, a Libyan human rights expert, confirmed that the transfer of migrants began last May, as about two thousand migrants were transferred from Tunisia to Libya this year.
Neither the Libyan nor the Tunisian authorities responded to requests for comment on the UN report.
Last April, Abdullah Batili, who was then the top UN official in Libya, expressed his deep concern about the dire situation of migrants in Libya.
The report included that there is a pattern in which Tunisian border officials coordinate with their Libyan counterparts to transfer migrants either to the “Al-Assa” or “Nalut” detention centers located on the other side of the border in Libya.
The report indicated that migrants are subjected to detention for varying periods before being transferred to the Bir al-Ghanam detention center near Tripoli, where the centers are run by the Libyan Anti-Illegal Immigration Service and the Coast Guard.
“Hundreds of detainees are crowded into cells, which often have only one usable toilet and no sanitation or ventilation,” the report stated.
He pointed out that the Libyan Anti-Illegal Immigration Service prevents United Nations officials from entering some detention centers.
The report called for the decriminalization of migrants in Libya and called for international support to push border management to adhere to human rights, considering that “the current approach to migration and border management is not successful.”
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