Ransomed and beaten: Migrants face abuse in Libyan detention

By SAMY MAGDY
Associated Press

ONBOARD THE GEO BARENTS OFF LIBYA (AP) — Migrants rescued from the Mediterranean Sea have told The Associated Press they were tortured and their families extorted for ransoms while they were held in Libya’s government detention centers. Their accounts come as a United Nations report last week found evidence of possible crimes against humanity committed against migrants intercepted at sea and turned over to Libya. The AP spoke with more than two dozen African migrants who were held over the past four years. They were among 60 migrants who fled Libya on Sept. 19 aboard two unseaworthy boats and were rescued by the Geo Barents, operated by the aid group Doctors Without Borders.