FROM TRIPOLI TO ROME - IMAGINE AND BUILD NEW SAFE PASSAGES

Impressions from Event #2 of the Human Rights Defenders Evacuation Campaign from Refugees in Libya end of May 2024 in the Italian capital

With the presence of 7 out of 14 Human Rights Defenders evacuated from Libya to Italy on the 7th of May, Refugees in Libya managed to reunite the most relevant actors involved in the evacuation mechanisms created by the Sant’Egidio Community as well as institutions able to imagine and build new safe passages, and, last but not least, activists from all over Europe that through the Alliance with Refugees in Libya amplify the voices of refugees, migrants, and asylum seekers.

In the welcoming speeches of Refugees in Libya, spokesperson David Yambio reminded the importance of acknowledging the protesters as Human Rights Defenders not only for the sake of justice but also to set an example for all those still trapped in Libya. Spokesperson Naeima Hussein added: “We are here to celebrate our bravery because it is underestimated what we have done. It is not an act of the chosen ones but of people living under inhumane circumstances. It became bigger than we would have ever expected”, reminding the 100-day struggle in front of the UNHCR Libya.

“Humanitarian Corridors: from Evacuation to Reception“ and “Safe Passages: Imagining New Access Routes“ were the titles of the following round table talks, in which various involved actors from institutions and civil society contributed with their experiences in the Pontifical Gregorian University. The 2nd day took place in the Spin Time Labs social center: „Externalizations of borders and border screening – the basic regulations of the new European Migration Pact and their worrying implications“ were tackled in a panel discussion. The new migration deals, which have been concluded with several Mediterranean states, as well as the constant disregard towards human rights for non-European people have led to reactions from the civil society. David Yambio and fellow activists suggested a “campaign for a new EU Pact”, a Pact against discrimination and structural racism in Europe. A grass root international initiative already enjoying a lot of support, not only in Italy.

„The criminalization of migration and solidarity” was the title of the last workshop. The worrying war against people on the move and humanitarian activists led to the discussion on future strategies on how to continue the campaign, raise awareness, and create media material as a counter-narrative to the increasingly strong right-wing movement in Europe – with video testimonies, reports, documentation work, and documentaries to be shown around the EU.

The entire event was accompanied by the Mobile Exhibition, a collection of written and video testimonies by the detainees from AinZara (detention camp) and Human Rights Defenders in Libya, recounting the repression protesters in Libya face, sharing stories of organizing resistance and giving inside of activities fighting for the human right. This exhibition is itinerant, a work in process, and attempts to bring the stories of the human rights violations, stories of resistance and testified experiences of the human rights defenders as a basis of discussion for the evacuation campaign. It has already been presented at a political event in Frankfurt and will continue to travel through various cities in order to give insight into the reality in Libya and the reality in Europe, where political agreements support human rights violations in Libya.