From Tripoli to Berlin: Evacuation, not Externalisation!

Illegal push- and pull backs, arbitrary detention, enslavement, sexual violence, and deaths at sea and on land: these are just some of the serious crimes and human rights violations people on the move face in Libya, Tunisia and the Mediterranean. These crimes are not only well-known in Europe, but EU migration policies directly contribute to them. Non-Europeans often have no option but to resort to dangerous sea crossings for lack of safe and legal pathways to seek protection. But rather than address this, European states concentrate their efforts on border fortification, frequently at the expense of human rights, striking deals with dictators in Libya and Tunisia to externalize border management, while simultaneously restricting and criminalizing life-saving sea rescue operations.

“Evacuation now” was the main slogan of the historic sit-in led by Refugees in Libya (‘RiL’) in October 2021, when they protested for 100 days in front of UNHCR’s office in Tripoli. Three years later, the network born from that protest is also organizing across Europe. Evacuation remains a central demand, along with accountability and policy change, for this important self-organized movement within the broader collective struggle to ensure the right to move for everyone.

On 18 October 2024, representatives from RiL and other organizations in solidarity with them will discuss the current situation in Libya and Tunisia. We will collectively think through possibilities and challenges to advance the movement’s aims through political, legal and practical interventions. Our goal is to build strong solidarity structures and campaigns to support the rights of people on the move through North Africa and the Mediterranean.

After the discussion guests are warmly invited to continue the conversation at a small reception, where they can also view a mobile exhibition about the Refugees in Libya movement.

The event will be held in English with translation into Arabic.

Please register HERE