Guests aboard the ALAN KURDI

Kai, our human rights observer, speaks to our guests aboard about their experiences. A father from Libya told him why his family had to leave the civil war country.

“There is no more life in Libya. The country has changed and with it the people. There are no prospects there. I have a wife and three children aged seven years, four years and five months.

I lived in Dubai with my family from 2005 to 2017 and I was able to travel without any problems. When we got back to Libya, nothing was like before.

Our house was destroyed in the war, we have nothing left. My son desperately needs surgery that he cannot get in Libya. I’ve tried everything and spent all of our remaining money on him.

Libyan man

My 4 year old son doesn’t really know me. Because we live in constant fear because of the civil war, I can’t even play with him. I can’t let my kids outside either because it’s too dangerous.

“One lives in constant terror in Libya.”

I just want my family to be fine. So I had to leave Libya.

I have known for a long time that many people come to my country to go to Europe, but I never thought that I would have to go. And I never thought I’d leave Libya like this. Some of my family and friends are still there and it hurts me a lot to leave Libya.”

— Father from Libya (45 years old) —

Statement from Kai:

What this family experienced is terrifying and disturbing. At the same time, it clearly shows how unsafe and unstable Libya has become as a result of the civil war. The conversations I have had with our guests so far show that the conditions in Libya are also catastrophic outside of the torture camps.

“We see once again that Libya is not a safe place.”

— Kai, Human Rights Observer —

A civil war has been raging for years. People live in terror and human rights are violated every day.

We are happy to finally be able to give our guests protection and safety aboard the ALAN KURDI.

We have long considered whether we should publish these reports. After thoughtful consideration, we decided that these stories should be heard. In order to protect the interviewees, their faces were blurred.

Warning: The content includes reports of massive violence and violence against children

Our human rights watcher interviewed two survivors who were rescued from a rubber dinghy by the ALAN KURDI in November 2019.

In the video, the rescued person describes horrific scenes that she observed during her time in a Libyan detention camp. She describes how a Libyan grabs a newborn alive from a woman and throws it to an “angry dog”. Another rescued describe experiences of incredible brutal violence. A young man reports that he had to call his family to ask them to transfer money and was beaten until he wailed in pain.

We decided to publish these reports because the situation in Libyan camps is part of the reality of European border security. The reports of slave trade, severe torture, ill-treatment, sexual violence, but also undersupply, completely inadequate medical care and inhumane unsanitary conditions have so far not led to a reversal of European migration policy.

The governments of the EU member states are guilty themselves and make us guilts during these years. Because it is our time. It is our brothers, sisters and their children who are tortured, raped and murdered in Libya. The fact that deep abysses are torn open is consciously accepted.

We therefore call on the Federal Government of Germany and the European Union and all of its member states again to:

  • end the inhumane policy of returning those rescued at sea back to Libya
  • return to a human rights-oriented, humanitarian policy

Particularly vulnerable people, e.g. families, pregnant women and children must be evacuated and not handed over to criminals.

YouTube

By loading the video, you accept YouTube’s privacy policy.
Learn more

Play video