This archive report was first published on 29 June 2020.
On a Norwegian-flagged ocean supply vessel, 118 migrants, including a pregnant woman, are nearing the end of their perilous journey across the Mediterranean.
For Hafiz, a 30-year-old Eritrean, the mention of Libya brings back memories of four years of unimaginable horrors, including torture, kidnappings, and beatings.
"All I want is to save my skin. If I had stayed in Libya, they would have ended up killing me," Hafiz told AFP onboard the rescue ship.
He survived three years in prison without seeing the light of day, and was eventually released after a guard asked him what he was doing there.
"After three years, a guard asked me what I was doing there. I replied that it was up to them to tell me. When no-one could come up with an answer, they let me go. And then I could tell my family I was alive," Hafiz said.
A UN report in late 2018 alleged "unimaginable horrors" in Libya, including "unlawful killings, arbitrary detention and torture, gang rape, slavery, and human trafficking" based on the testimony of 1,300 migrants.
For Mohammad Tareeq Saleem, a 40-year-old Pakistani native, the journey was motivated by a desire to earn money for his wife and six children in Lahore.
"My mission is to work and earn money to feed my family," he said.
Cameroonian Mervis, 24, and her Ghanaian husband are seeking a safe haven for their unborn child, who will be born in Germany.
"We just want to live in peace! Let us in," Mervis pleaded.
The Ocean Viking, a Norwegian-flagged ocean supply vessel chartered by charities, is waiting for permission from either Italy or Malta to dock.
