The head of the Green Mountain branch for Combating Illegal Migration, Brigadier General Ramzi Ramadan Al-Hassi, stated that the agency continues its work in accordance with Law No. (19) of 2010 concerning combating illegal migration, which includes 14 articles. However, he noted that the law is outdated and does not keep pace with developments in organized crime. Therefore, the agency seeks to submit a proposal to the Ministry of Interior to update it and raise it to the House of Representatives in order to toughen the penalties for smugglers.
In statements to the Libyan News Agency “LANA,” Al-Hassi explained that the law focused on punishing the illegal immigrant, while only imposing a fine and a short prison sentence on the smuggler, despite the latter being the primary driver of the crime. This necessitates a comprehensive review of the current texts.
Ramadan pointed to the agency’s cooperation with all security and law enforcement bodies, such as the Municipal Guard, security directorates, and the armed forces, where migrants are handed over to shelter centers. He also mentioned a meeting of a delegation from the agency in Brussels with the European Union, where the challenges facing Libya were presented, especially the flow of migrants across the desert in the east and the sea in the west, stressing that the European Union promised to study these observations.
Ramadan emphasized that the shelter centers are not criminal prisons, but rather temporary humanitarian facilities that adhere to international standards, providing courtyards and playgrounds for migrants, and allowing them to contact their families. He noted that the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in cooperation with the Libyan Relief Agency, provides basic materials and facilitates video calls via “Skype.”
Al-Hassi indicated that the absence of consular representation for a number of countries hinders the return of migrants, forcing the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to communicate with their countries’ embassies to issue temporary documents and secure monthly flights for their return. He also mentioned that the most prominent difficulties include the phenomenon of begging among some expatriate nationalities, stressing that Libyan law punishes it with a fine and referral to the Public Prosecution, calling on citizens to direct their aid to Zakat funds.
Ramadan revealed a meeting with the Minister of Interior, Major General Essam Bouzeriba, during which a list of smugglers’ names in the eastern region and the Green Mountain was handed over. It was agreed to use maps and modern technologies to monitor their locations, in coordination with the armed forces. He explained that a joint team was formed with the United Nations mission to bring viewpoints closer on the migration crisis, in addition to an agreement with a team from the western region to establish three information-gathering centers in the east, west, and south under UN supervision.