Protesters gather near Libyan Embassy after CNN report on migrant auctions
Protesters gathered outside the Libyan Embassy in central Paris following an exclusive CNN investigation into migrant auctions in Libya.
"We
have to mobilize. We can't let this kind of thing happen," one
protester told France 24 at the rally Saturday. "Did we really need to
see such shocking pictures before taking a stand? I don't think so."
After obtaining footage of an auction, CNN's Nima Elbagir and her crew went to Libya in October to investigate further.
"How can it be that in the 21st century, we're selling human beings like
merchandise?" one woman at the Paris protest said. "I cannot get my
head around that!"
Libyan authorities this week launched a formal investigation into the auctions, overseen by the government's Anti-Illegal Immigration Agency.
"Priorities
of the investigation are not only to convict those responsible for
these inhumane acts, but also to identify the location of those who have
been sold in order to bring them to safety and return them to their
countries of origin," Anes Alazabi, an official with the agency, told
CNN.
During its investigation, CNN
witnessed a dozen men being sold at an auction outside of the Libyan
capital of Tripoli. Some of them were auctioned off for as little as
$400. Ultimately, CNN was told of auctions taking place at nine
locations throughout Libya, but many more are believed to take place
each month.
Tens of thousands fleeing conflict or
searching for economic opportunity cross into Libya each year, looking
to be smuggled across the Mediterranean Sea.
The
United Nations estimates there are 700,000 migrants in Libya, and for
years those who have crossed the Mediterranean have shared stories about
beatings, kidnapping and enslavement.
"It's not about color," the woman at the protest said. "This goes beyond color or religion. This is about humanity."
Source: CNN
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