Zeid RA’ad al-Hussein
The UN high Commissioner for human rights Prince Zeid RA’ad al Hussein spoke about the responsibility of the European powers over the mass deaths of African migrants. About it reports Reuters.
Saudi Prince welcomed the signing of the Paris agreement on curbing illegal migration, which currently involves France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Chad, Niger and Libya.
“However, the issue of human rights against migrants (like those that are on the territory of Libya, and those that are trying to cross the sea) is still relevant, — said the Commissioner. — No one says that there is an urgent need to find alternative to the current situation in which people who are unable to defend themselves, are delayed without any reason”.
According to Zeid, his subordinates in the last year reported about the critical situation in this area, but their appeals did not pay attention. Since then the situation has worsened: reports of human rights violations are coming continuously, the bodies of the dead littered the deserts, forests and the shores of Libya, the country’s morgues are overflowing with corpses.
“Sometimes the coast guard rescues drowning migrants, but sometimes just do not pay attention to them — complained to the Prince. — As the coastal police, coast guard sometimes beating, robbing and even killing of migrants, which she catches”.
In the ongoing UN high Commissioner accuses the authorities of the European Union. “European governments have fed that business suffering — said Zeid. — Do the EU authorities want the future to answer for what they in fact, encourage rape, torture and slavery?”
In 2015, the influx of refugees from the Middle East caused the crisis in the European Union. After the result of the agreement with Turkey was blocked by the so-called Balkan route through the countries of South-Eastern Europe, the main flow of migrants moved through Libya. This is mainly residents of West African countries attempting to cross into Italy.
According to the International organization for migration, since the beginning of this year while trying to cross the Mediterranean sea were killed or went missing 665 people. As follows from official data of the Italian authorities, over the same period, the country has arrived more than 23 thousand illegal migrants.