The authority of Ain Zara detention center warns of returning refugees held in its prison back to the UNHCR's headquarter where they were forcibly evicted in early January. This came after concerns of the Refugees that UNHCR secured their release three weeks ago and dumped them in streets where they have been stranded. Today the 7th of March, the UNHCR went back to the detention center with a list of three families aimed for release, but they were stopped by the authority of the prison who accused the commission of carelessness, and mishandling of Refugees. Afandi Hakim the authority of Ain Zara criticized the UNHCR for abandoning Refugees in disgusting situations with inadequate food, he pointed out that the encampment was dismantled under UNHCR's recommendations but later they failed to comply with the prison's authorities. Afandi Hakim shared his concerns over the wellbeing of innocent women, pregnant ones and newborns who are being manipulated by the UNHCR. He also stressed that Ramadan is around the corner and he will not be responsible for carrying the guilt of providing inadequate food to the refugees abandoned by the UNHCR and the international community.
Hakim told the staff that, go and tell your boss that I said he should make it plain that the UNHCR is not responsible for these Refugees so that I can do what best I can in my own style. He accused the UNHCR of segregation and racism towards refugees while referring to Syrian refugees who were brought to the detention center a few days ago and got released by the UNHCR in just two days. Afandi Hakim warned them that he would take all the detained Refugees back to the UNHCR's headquarters in three days' time if the commission did not show up. He also called on the Libyan authorities for failing to feed and provide healthcare to refugees held in his center. On the early morning hours of 10 January this year (see), the refugeesinlibya sit-in which was a 100 days old was dismantled violently by the authority of Directorate for combating illegal migration (DCIM) alongside unidentified militias. Hundreds were rounded up and taken to inhumane detentions, a dozen wounded and one shot with a live bullet. Ever then the Refugees taken to Ain Zara have been subjected to ill-treatment, inadequate unhealthy food, unhealthy drinking waters, and unsanitized places to sleep in.
To this day the responsible NGO (UNHCR LIBYA) declined to give comments on why it forsook its refugees in the streets for over three months of unimaginable chaos and then to the hands of the militias. The UNHCR well knows that these Refugees are not criminals, they are literally being detained for who they are; refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers, black people and then business assets. Not only that, these Refugees have been subjected to forced labor, exploitation and sexual violence.
Now refugees have been abandoned to grave terrors in these concentration camps, they pass through various stages both physical and psychological tortures.