The "Refugees in Libya" Facebook page, dedicated to monitoring violations against migrants and refugees, has shared disturbing footage of torture and beating inflicted upon a migrant in the city of Bani Walid in order to force his family into paying a ransom for his release.
The promoters of the video clarified that the young man, named "Samuel Harrison," aged 29, hails from Ethiopia. His mother received a call in February from his captors informing her that he was being held in Bani Walid for a ransom of $15,000.
According to the same source, the gang sent Harrison's mother videos of his torture, threatening to continue their brutal actions if the ransom was not paid. The family reached out to the authorities in Ethiopia to rescue their son, but to no avail.
The mother then launched an online fundraising campaign to raise the demanded amount. The Refugees in Libya cited the mother as saying that her son had migrated to Libya after the death of his father and brother without informing his family.
The lack of job opportunities and low wages forced him to leave in order to support his family, she explained. However, the fundraising efforts have not succeeded so far.