More than 170 organizations and people have issued a statement including StateWatch Organization, calling on the Italian government to cancel the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concluded with Libya, given its role in facilitating exploitative practices that include violence and crimes against humanity.

The statement indicated that the system, which was established based on the signing of the Italian-Libyan MoU, did not lead to any significant improvements in the Libyan situation. Rather, it demonstrated the impossibility of ensuring effective protection for migrants stranded in Libya.

With financial and political support from the European Union, this MoU defines aspects of cooperation between the two countries, and at the same time, does not in any way prevent violations of migrants’ rights committed in the country, but creates the atmosphere for more inhumane practices indirectly, the statement reads.

Given the complexity of the scene in Libya, it is necessary to strongly condemn the Italian and European cooperation with the Libyan authorities, in particular the Italian-Libyan MoU that prevented migrants from leaving, and practiced exploitation of migrants residing in the country, according to the statement.