Kurdistan Region youths kidnapped in Libya, held for ransom and organ threats: investigation

More than 300 young men from the Kurdistan Region who reached Libya have been subjected to serious abuses, according to a joint investigation by Deutsche Welle and the BBC. The reporters based their account on Libyan journalist Tarek Lamloum, who tracks migrant rights in the country. All of those identified were citizens of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, the investigation found. According to the report, the victims arrived in Libya through airports without difficulty and were met by smugglers linked to local militias before being directed toward boats intended for Europe. The militias demanded $5,000 per person from the victims' families and threatened to remove the kidneys of those whose relatives did not pay, the investigation said. Former detainees who were released said they were held in severely overcrowded cells and subjected to torture. The report described one cell holding roughly 180 people and said at least one hostage died in custody. It did not provide a clear figure for how many people remain held.