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A6   WORLD NEWS
                  Thursday 31 March 2022
            U.N. experts seek to verify mass graves for migrants in Libya



            By  SAMY  MAGDY  and                                                                                                prolonged  periods  of  time
            JAMEY KEATEN                                                                                                        or  subjected  to  intrusive
            Associated Press                                                                                                    body search amounting to
            CAIRO (AP) — Investigators                                                                                          rape.”
            commissioned by the U.N.’s                                                                                          Also Wednesday, Germany
            top  human  rights  body  on                                                                                        said  that  its  military  will  no
            Wednesday      painted   a                                                                                          longer  provide  training  to
            grim picture for migrants in                                                                                        Libya’s  coast  guard  be-
            Libya,  just  days  after  say-                                                                                     cause  of  concerns  over
            ing  they  were  looking  into                                                                                      its  treatment  of  migrants.
            claims  that  mass  graves                                                                                          The  Libyan  coast  guard
            have been found at a hu-                                                                                            has  been  trained  and
            man  trafficking  center  in                                                                                        equipped by the European
            the country’s northwest.                                                                                            Union  as  part  of  efforts  to
            Chief    investigator   Mo-                                                                                         stanch the flow of migrants
            hamed  Auajjar,  a  former                                                                                          across the Mediterranean.
            Moroccan  justice  minister,                                                                                        The investigators said in an
            said  the  team  of  investi-                                                                                       October  report  that  they
            gators  had  documented                                                                                             had  evidence  of  possible
            “consistent patterns of seri-                                                                                       crimes   against   human-
            ous human rights violations”                                                                                        ity  and  war  crimes  in  Lib-
            against migrants in govern-                                                                                         ya.  Many  of  the  alleged
            ment-run detention centers                                                                                          crimes,  they  say,  were
            and trafficking hubs.        Migrants  are  brought  to  shore  after  being  intercepted  by  the  Libyan  coast  guard  on  the   committed against civilians
                                         Mediterranean Sea, in Garaboli Libya, on Oct. 18, 2021.
            Libya  has  in  recent  years                                                                      Associated Press  and  migrants  detained  in
            emerged  as  a  popular,                                                                                            the  country  while  trying  to
            if  extremely  dangerous,  and raped.”                    Auajjar  said  his  team  of  announce concrete results  get to Europe.
            route  toward  Europe  for  In  interim  findings  present-  about   15   investigators,  and if necessary, if we have  The  investigators  also  said
            those  fleeing  poverty  and  ed to the council this week,  based  out  of  the  Tunisian  the  necessary  evidence,  that the Libyan coast guard
            conflict  in  Africa  and  the  the  investigators  said  at  capital  of  Tunis,  are  going  we will name those respon-  has  mistreated  migrants
            Middle  East.  The  North  Af-  least  eight  migrants  had  over  all  of  the  cases  and  sible for these claims.”  and handed some over to
            rican  nation  plunged  into  spoken about mass graves  vetting  the  information  re-  He  told  the  council  earlier  detention  centers  where
            turmoil following the NATO-  in  the  town,  something  ceived.                        that investigators were also  there is widespread torture
            backed  2011  uprising  that  the  investigators  said  they  “We  receive  a  lot  of  infor-  examining the existence of  and sexual violence.
            toppled  and  killed  long-  needed to verify.            mation  from  NGOs  (non-    secret  detention  facilities  A  confidential  report  by
            time  dictator  Moammar  Speaking to The Associated  governmental          organiza-   including  some  controlled  the head of Operation Irini,
            Gadhafi.                     Press on the sidelines of the  tions)  and  authorities,  and  by armed militias.      obtained  earlier  this  year
            In the northwestern town of  council session in Geneva,  we  want  to  check  them  In  the  report,  investigators  by  the  AP,  acknowledged

            Bani Walid, the fact-finding  Auajjar  said  his  office  “re-  with  ethics  and  rigor,”  he  said  they  continued  to  re-  “excessive use of force” by
            experts  commissioned  by  ceived  information  about  said. Alluding to the coun-     ceive  reports  of  detainees  the coast guard but called
            the  U.N.-backed  Human  other  sites  as  well,  where  cil’s  next  session,  when  his  “being  threatened  with  for  European  training  pro-
            Rights  Council  found  that  there may be mass graves,  office will present a full writ-  sexual  violence  against  grams to continue, despite
            “migrants  were  held  cap-  but  the  investigations  are  ten report, Auajjar said: “In  them  or  their  relatives,  be-  longtime  outcry  from  right
            tive,  murdered,  tortured  ongoing.”                     June,  we  will  be  able  to  ing  stripped  naked  for  groups.q

             Haitians protest rising insecurity; some burn a plane



                                                                      Les  Cayes  where  people  part of an attack by some  had gotten onto the termi-
                                                                      stormed the airport and at-  protesters,  said  Garry  Des-  nal’s tarmac, attacked the
                                                                      tacked and burned a small  rosiers,  the  National  Police  plane and set it on fire.
                                                                      plane owned by a U.S. mis-   spokesman.  The  aircraft  A  video  posted  in  social
                                                                      sionary group.               was  non-operational  and  media  showed  some  peo-
                                                                      At  least  one  person  died  had  been  stationed  there  ple on the plane’s fuselage
                                                                      and  five  others  were  in-  for a while, he added.      while  the  red-and-white
                                                                      jured, including four police  The protests coincided with  aircraft was moving on the
                                                                      officers,  in  the  confron-  the 35th anniversary of Hai-  tarmac, and others running
                                                                      tation  between  protest-    ti’s  1987  Constitution  and  alongside it. Chery said he
                                                                      ers  and  authorities  in  Les  follow  other  protests  and  didn’t  know  why  they  at-
                                                                      Cayes, said Gedeon Chery,  strikes in recent weeks amid  tacked it.
                                                                      a National Police inspector  a spike in gang-related kid-  Agape  Flights,  a  Christian
                                                                      assigned  to  the  city’s  air-  nappings  and  complaints  ministry  transporting  sup-
                                                                      port.                        about  Prime  Minister  Ariel  plies to missionaries in Haiti,
                                                                      Chery  told  The  Associated  Henry’s inability to confront  the  Dominican  Republic
            A plane burns after being set on fire by demonstrators
            protesting increasing violence at the Antoine Simon Des Cayes   Press the person killed was  gangs.  On  his  Twitter  ac-  and the Bahamas, said in a
            airport in Les Cayes, Haiti, Tuesday, March 29, 2022.     a  protester  who  was  shot,  count,  Henry  condemned  statement  that  “Our  team
                                                     Associated Press   but  he  didn’t  say  whether  the  violence  in  Les  Cayes  is safe.”
                                                                      police were responsible.     and  said  he  has  ordered  It  said  Agape’s  Chieftain
            By EVENS SANON               the streets Tuesday to pro-  A  second  small  plane  was  authorities  to  look  for  the  aircraft was destroyed and
            Associated Press             test  rising  insecurity,  with  burned at the local airport  people behind it.        they are preparing to bring
            PORT-AU-PRINCE,        Haiti  demonstrations turning vio-  of  the  city  of  Jacmel,  but  Chery,  the  police  inspec-  the ministry’s team back to
            (AP)  —  Haitians  took  to  lent  in  the  southern  city  of  it wasn’t clear if it was also  tor, said a group of people  the U.S.q
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