CAIRO: A member of a criminal group linked to a mass grave containing the bodies of 21 migrants will stand trial on a charge of human trafficking, Libya’s attorney general’s office said Friday.
The office said in a statement on Facebook that the gang member was being referred to court.
Authorities found evidence that the criminal gang organized illegal migration and trafficked people in Al-Kufra city in southeast Libya and Ajdabiya city in the eastern part of the country. The attorney general’s statement didn’t identify the gang.
Libya has been a main transit point for migrants fleeing war and poverty in Africa and the Middle East. The country plunged into chaos after a 2011 uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
It remains unclear how the 21 migrants died or when, or exactly when and where they were found. The attorney general’s office released images Friday showing bodies wrapped in black plastic bags, with some remains partially covered in dirt. The Associated Press could not immediately independently verify the images.
The statement said 195 migrants were released by the criminal group after being detained and subjected to torture aimed at extorting ransom from their families. Authorities arrested one of the members of the group, while remaining members are still being pursued, according to the attorney general’s office.
Many migrants who take the risky sea route to reach Europe seeking a better lives do not survive. Most recently, at least 42 people went missing and were presumed dead after a boat carrying migrants capsized off the coast of Libya, according to the International Organization for Migration.
The latest shipwreck adds to the rising death toll in the Central Mediterranean, where more than 1,000 people have died since the beginning of 2025, including over 500 lost off the coast of Libya, according to the IOM’s Missing Migrants Project.
After Qaddafi was killed, Libya was split in two, with rival administrations in the east and west, each backed by armed groups and foreign governments. The western part of the country is governed by Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah’s government in Tripoli, and the administration of Prime Minister Ossama Hammad rules in the east.
Libya to try a gang member linked to a mass grave of 21 migrants for human trafficking
https://arab.news/zfjnu
Libya to try a gang member linked to a mass grave of 21 migrants for human trafficking
- Authorities found evidence that the criminal gang organized illegal migration and trafficked people in Al-Kufra city
- It remains unclear how the 21 migrants died or when, or exactly when and where they were found
Syrian authorities bust smuggling ring, tighten border controls
- Smugglers' boat collides with rocks as it attempted to flee pursuing as Coast Guard vessels
- The boat was about to illegally transport passengers from the Syrian coast of Tartus coast to Cyprus
DAMASCUS: Syrian Coast Guard forces have arrested members of a human smuggling network operating in the western town of Tartus, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported Saturday.
Authorities pounced on the smugglers as they were about to transport passengers from the Tartus coast to Cyprus by illegal means, the state media said, citing a statement from the General Authority of Ports and Customs.
"The operation resulted in the arrest of all those involved, including the organizers of the trip," said the report, adding that the smugglers' boat attempted to escape as Coast Guard vessels surrounded it, but collided with rocks.
No details were made available on how many suspects were arrested and how many passengers were rescued. Criminal charges are being prepared against the arrested suspects, SANA said.
New restrictions on commercial transit
In a separate move to regulate trade and border security, the ports and customs authority has issued a new policy restricting truck access at land crossings and seaports.
Commercial trucks will now only be permitted entry for loading or unloading upon presentation of an original receipt from the Ministry of Transport’s freight office.
The transfer of cargo between Syrian and non-Syrian vehicles must now take place strictly within designated customs yards at border crossings.
Trucks passing through Syria in transit remain permitted, provided they are under a mandatory customs escort between entry and exit points.
