ICC to Investigate Smuggling Networks in Libya
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has announced that an investigation into the activities of people smugglers in Libya could potentially take place next year.
Chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda said the ICC intends to study the feasibility of opening an investigation into alleged criminal acts against refugees and migrants in the North African country.
This probe would include “any alleged acts of sexual violence or crimes against children” that come under the court’s jurisdiction, she told the U.N. Security Council on November 9.
Libya is the main launching point for hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Italy, and the ICC has engaged with agencies investigating individuals involved in organized crime who facilitate and finance illegal migration there, she said.
“The situation continues to deteriorate, and innocent civilians continue to bear the brunt of the fighting between the warring factions vying for control of Libyan territory,” Bensouda said. “The current state of affairs, in which civilians are victimized, is completely unacceptable.”
Syrians Rescued Off Cyprus ‘Abandoned By Man on Jet Ski’
The 123 Syrians rescued adrift off the coast of Cyprus on November 10 were abandoned by a boatman who made off on a jet ski, officials said.
Those rescued included a woman who had given birth at sea, according to a civil defense statement. Officials told AFP that the boat, which was first spotted on November 9, had set sail from the Turkish port of Mersin. Overall there were 42 children, 19 women and 62 men aboard. All were in good health.
The group, who said they had paid $2,200 a head, was thought to include at least nine people who had previously been deported from Cyprus. Police said they were still checking identity papers.
Despite its proximity to Syria, Cyprus has so far avoided the kind of mass influx of refugees as witnessed in Greece, although there has been an increase in people smuggling from Turkey. The island lies just 100 kilometers (60 miles) off the coast of Syria.
Serbia to Jail People Traffickers for Up to 15 Years
Serbia is set to increase prison sentences to 15 years for anyone found guilty of people smuggling.
Draft amendments passed by the Serbian cabinet call for anyone convicted of organized people trafficking to face prison terms of up to 15 years, senior Justice Ministry aide Radomir Ilic told the Tanjug news agency. The maximum sentence was previously 12 years,
“It is important not only to catch cross-border people smugglers, but to deter any attempt of local population from taking part,” Ilic said.
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