A Libyan court jails 38 human traffickers over the deaths of 11 Europe-bound migrants at sea

CAIRO (AP) — Libya’s chief prosecutor says a court in the east of the country has sentenced five people to life in prison after they were convicted of human trafficking over the deaths of 11 migrants who were on a rickety boat trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe. On Monday, the court in the city of Bayda also sentenced nine other defendants to 15 years in prison each, while a further 24 received one-year sentences. The defendants were part of a Libyan network smuggling migrants from the conflict-wracked North African nation to Europe. In recent years, Libya has become a major transit point for Middle Eastern and African migrants fleeing conflicts and poverty and seeking a better life in Europe.