The undersigned organizations strongly condemn the Libyan authorities\u2019 latest crackdown on non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and their staff, solely for providing humanitarian assistance to migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Libya. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On 2 April 2025, the Tripoli-based Internal Security Agency (ISA), affiliated with the Libyan Presidential Council, announced<\/a> the \u201cclosure of the headquarters\u201d of ten international NGOs supporting migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Libya. The ISA cited the NGOs\u2019 alleged involvement in \u201chostile activities\u201d and accused them of conspiring to \u201csettle illegal migrants of African origin in Libya\u201d, a plan it labelled \u201ca hostile act aimed at altering the country\u2019s demographic composition and posing a threat to Libyan society.\u201d The ISA also claimed that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was \u201cimplicated in these crimes\u201d and announced it would take \u201cdeterrent measures\u201d against it. The ISA further accused the NGOs of \u200bpromoting \u201catheism, Christianism, hom\u200bosexuality and immorality\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n These NGOs provide critical services aimed at safeguarding the right to life, food, housing and health\u2014essential human rights that the Libyan authorities currently struggle to guarantee, particularly for people on the move requiring life-saving humanitarian assistance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The latest clampdown against NGOs and civil society more broadly did not arise in a vacuum. In March 2025, following a misinformation campaign on social media claiming that the Government of National Unity (GNU) had agreed to resettle migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in the country, Libya witnessed a surge in arbitrary arrests of migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. This was also followed by raids by \u201csecurity forces affiliated with the Ministry of Interior\u201d in several cities, including Tripoli, Misrata and Sabratha, according to Libya Crimes Watch (LCW)<\/a>. The spate of arrests coincided with \u200bviolent \u200battacks and repeated instances of hate speech inciting racial discrimination and violence against migrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Libya. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The signatory organizations condemn the ISA\u2019s unfounded allegations against the impacted NGOs. The ISA\u2019s groundless accusations exacerbate existing xenophobic sentiments and represent a deliberate tactic of scapegoating, especially of Black migrants, refugees and asylum seekers, for Libya\u2019s underlying political and institutional crises. The Libyan authorities\u2019 inflammatory rhetoric not only fuels fear and hostility, but also endangers migrants, refugees and asylum seekers and those working to protect their human rights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWhat we are witnessing is not a series of isolated violations, but a continuous, coordinated and systematic campaign of repression, led by the ISA with the backing and cover of the government, aimed at dismantling civil society and obstructing the work of international humanitarian organizations in Libya. The Libyan authorities bear direct responsibility for this repressive campaign and must be held accountable. The forced closure of these organizations will only exacerbate the already deteriorating humanitarian conditions faced by migrants, refugees and asylum seekers,\u201d said Ali Omar, Director of Libya Crimes Watch.<\/strong> <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n