Three jailed for people trafficking by court in Libya

A court in the Libyan capital has sentenced three people to harsh prison terms on charges of people trafficking, in the first such ruling in a nation where migrants are routinely mistreated.

The Criminal Court of Tripoli convicted the three of human trafficking, detaining and torturing migrants, and extorting their families to pay ransom to release their relatives, according to a statement from the office of Libya’s chief processor.

The court sentenced one of the convicted to life in prison while the other two received 20-year terms.

The statement did not reveal further details including their identities or nationalities.

Libya plunged into chaos following a Nato-backed uprising that toppled and killed long-time autocrat Moammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country has since emerged as the dominant transit point for migrants seeking a better life in Europe.

Human traffickers have benefited from the instability in Libya and smuggled migrants through the country’s lengthy border with six nations. They then pack desperate people on to ill-equipped rubber boats and other vessels in risky voyages on the central Mediterranean Sea route.

For years, the United Nations and rights groups have spoken out about horrible conditions faced by migrants who were trafficked and smuggled across the Mediterranean.

UN-backed human rights experts said in March there was evidence that crimes against humanity have been committed against Libyans and migrants in Libya, including women being forced into sexual slavery.