This archive report was first published on 16 September 2019.
On September 16, 2019, Italian police made a significant arrest in the fight against human trafficking. Three individuals, including a 27-year-old man from Guinea and two Egyptians aged 24 and 26, were taken into custody in a detention centre in Messina, Sicily.
The suspects were accused of running a prisoners' camp in Zawyia, Libya, where migrants were forcibly held until they could pay a ransom to attempt the perilous Mediterranean crossing.
According to testimony from other migrants, those held in the camp were subjected to torture and beatings, with some even dying in captivity.
Libya, despite being plagued by chaos and conflict since the 2011 uprising that killed Muammar Gaddafi, remains a major transit route for migrants, particularly from sub-Saharan Africa.
According to the International Organization for Migration, at least 5,200 people are currently trapped in official detention centres in Libya, often in appalling conditions.
