The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stands by its call upon the Libyan authorities to release refugees and asylum seekers from detention facilities, where poor sanitary conditions and overpopulation expose these vulnerable populations to a heightened risk of getting the coronavirus, UNHCR spokesperson in Libya Caroline Gluck told Sputnik
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 29th May, 2020) The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) stands by its call upon the Libyan authorities to release refugees and asylum seekers from detention facilities, where poor sanitary conditions and overpopulation expose these vulnerable populations to a heightened risk of getting the coronavirus, UNHCR spokesperson in Libya Caroline Gluck told Sputnik.
"With other agencies, we are also repeating our calls for the orderly release of those held in detention to the community. Asylum seekers and refugees, held in detention because they do not have legal documentation, are particularly vulnerable and exposed, given often poor sanitation facilities, limited health services and overcrowded conditions," Gluck said.
According to the UNHCR, there are currently 800 refugees and asylum seekers in Libyan detention facilities. Gluck said the agency had distributed hygiene kits to them on several occasions, but that the conditions in these facilities continue to remain alarming, in addition to many such centers being close to active armed conflict areas.
The spokeswoman said that whatever the coronavirus-related safety restrictions in Libya, they must not be discriminatory against migrants, refugees and other vulnerable groups, which were hit the hardest by the pandemic.
According to the UN latest situation report, health authorities in Libya have reported a total of 99 COVID-19 cases, including four fatalities, and none of them was among refugees or asylum seekers.
