To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have received on the number of refugees and migrants held in detention centres or prisons in Libya; and what is their estimate of the proportion of those detainees (1) intent on reaching Europe, and (2) willing to return to their country of origin.
Answered on
8 March 2017
The 13 December 2016 joint report by the UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) notes that between 4000 and 7000 migrants and refugees are held in detention centres in Libya, representing 2-3% of the total estimated migrant population. It is difficult to ascertain what proportion of these detainees are intent on reaching Europe or willing to return to their country of origin, although the International Organisation for Migrants claims the majority would be willing to return to their home country voluntarily.