A Tripoli court imposed heavy sentences on three people convicted of human trafficking in Libya, a country that has for years become a hub for migrants, especially from sub-Saharan Africa, hoping to reach Europe, the general prosecutor’s office announced yesterday.

The three men – whose identities and nationalities have not been released – were sentenced to life in prison for one and 20 years for the other two, according to a statement from the prosecution.

These are the first known convictions in Libya for human trafficking.

The three defendants were found guilty of “trafficking in human beings”, “kidnapping and torturing” irregular migrants and forcing their relatives to pay ransoms to release them, according to the same source.

Libya has become a hub for tens of thousands of people trying to reach Europe since 2011, after chaos reigned in the north African nation following the uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi’s regime.

In a report in March, a UN mission investigating the human rights situation in Libya found that migrants trapped in the country have been turned into slaves and sex slaves, a crime against humanity.

The Agency’s team of experts also referred to possible crimes against humanity against migrants in detention centers.

In October 2021, the US and the UN sanctioned Libya’s Osama al-Quni Ibrahim for “horrific crimes against migrants” from sub-Saharan Africa in a detention center in Libya.