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Middle East Eye
02-05-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Alleged US plans to deport people to Libya 'inhuman,' rights groups say
Human rights defender David Yambio recalls his time in Libya as one of 'perpetual fear'. Yambio fled Sudan in 2016 after he was forcibly recruited as a child soldier, and wound up in a series of detention centres and prisons in Libya. 'I was tortured, I was enslaved. I saw an enormous level of violence that I cannot describe,' he told Middle East Eye. He managed to escape and cross the central Mediterranean to Europe, and has since painstakingly documented abuses against refugees in Libya through his organisation Refugees in Libya. The news that US President Donald Trump is seeking to deport migrant people to Libya left him 'deeply troubled'. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters CNN has reported that Trump officials discussed with a Libyan delegation the possibility of sending non-nationals with criminal records to the country. One source said that administration officials are also seeking to strike a formal 'safe country' agreement with Libya which would allow the US to send asylum seekers apprehended at the US border to Libya to process their claims. 'As someone who has lived through this harsh reality of life in Libya, and the fact that I work every single day to address the ongoing crisis there, what I can say with certainty is that it's a dangerous, unacceptable and inhuman proposal,' Yambio said. 'Libya has never been a safe place for migrants, and I don't see it in any foreseeable future. The number of abuses we're documenting against migrants, refugees and Libyans is enormous,' he told MEE. Giulia Messmer, a spokesperson for the monitor Sea-Watch, said the move is 'tantamount to condemning refugees to a violent cycle of torture, slavery and sexual violence.' According to the report, no final agreement has been struck, and it is currently unclear which nationalities would be eligible for deportation. A State Department spokesperson and a Libyan official denied that deportations were discussed at the meeting. 'The most vile people on earth' During his election campaign, Trump pledged to launch the largest mass deportation operation in US history, and has deported and detained thousands of people since taking office. In January, he signed an executive order instructing officials to facilitate international agreements that would enable the US to deport migrant people. 'Libya has never been a safe place for migrants... The number of abuses we're documenting against migrants, refugees and Libyans is enormous' - David Yambio, co-founder of Refugees in Libya Since then, his administration has reportedly struck deals with a number of central American countries including El Salvador, Mexico, Costa Rica and Panama, and is pushing to expand the list. His administration is also reportedly also seeking a deal with Rwanda, which will see the country accept individuals with criminal records who have already served sentences in the US. Under the agreement, the deportees would be integrated into Rwandan society. In March, a refugee from Iraq, Omar Abdulsattar Ameen, was deported from the US to Rwanda. Also in March, the US deported 200 Venezuelan men, whom it claimed were gang members, to an El Salvadoran mega prison, Cecot, shortly after the countries struck a $6m deal for El Salvador to detain around 300 migrants at the prison for one year. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a US Cabinet meeting on Wednesday that the administration is 'actively searching for other countries to take people from third countries'. 'We're working with nations to ask: would you take in some of the most vile people on Earth as a favour to us? The farther they are from America, the better - so they can't come back across the border,' he added. Continuous abuse Rights groups have long documented abuses perpetrated against thousands of people who arrive in Libya in the hope of boarding a boat to Europe and are abducted by traffickers and held to ransom. Libya is a key transit country for thousands of refugees, often from Sub-Saharan Africa, with 760,000 estimated to have arrived in the country as of July 2024. There, they are subjected to prolonged arbitrary detention, torture, sexual violence, forced labour and financial extortion, at the hands of both smuggling gangs and state actors. The Libyan Coast Guard, which is trained and equipped by the European Union and member states, has long intercepted refugees attempting to cross the central Mediterranean and sent them to unofficial detention centres. Libya: Video reveals young Ethiopian woman being tortured for ransom Read More » 'What we are documenting is continuous human trafficking of migrants but also continuous abuse,' Yambio said. 'We are speaking about innumerable human trafficking hubs that belong to people who are affiliated either with the Ministry of Interior or with the government itself. This is the huge chain of human trafficking,' he added. According to a recent report by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), refugees in the country are stripped of protections, which prevents them from accessing healthcare. The NGO warned that the lack of healthcare access for refugees risked worsening the trauma and injuries they had sustained in detention. In April, the Libyan authorities accused aid groups - including MSF and the UN refugee agency, UNHCR - of plotting to 'change the demographic composition of the country,' ordering several to shutter their offices. In mid-March, MSF was forced to wind down its operations in the country, citing a campaign of harassment targeting its staff. Yambio highlighted that the potential deal with the US would grant yet more impunity to those committing abuses. Rights groups have repeatedly highlighted the role of EU funding and support in perpetuating abuses against people on the move in Libya. A UN fact-finding mission in March 2023 concluded that the EU had 'aided and abetted' Libyan authorities' crimes against migrants, through its bolstering of the Libyan Coast Guard and funding of Libyan border management programmes.
The Guardian
19-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Italian activist alerts ICC to spyware attack when in communication with court
A prominent activist in Italy has warned the international criminal court (ICC) that his mobile phone was under surveillance when he was providing the ICC with confidential information about victims of torture in Libya. A report released on Wednesday by The Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, which tracks digital surveillance of members of civil society, has confirmed that David Yambio, the founder of an organisation called Refugees in Libya, was targeted by mercenary spyware. The attack occurred at a time when he was in communication with The Hague, he said. At least one attack took place around June 2024, researchers said. In a statement to the Guardian, Yambio said he alerted the ICC to the attack after it had been confirmed and urged members of the court to have their phones checked for spyware. The ICC's office of the prosecutor said it would not comment on matters related to 'ongoing investigations'. The revelation raises questions about whether a government agency with access to military-grade spyware may have been seeking to interfere with ICC proceedings by keeping tabs on individuals who have access to and advocate on behalf of victims of torture. It will probably put pressure on Giorgia Meloni, who has faced questions about the use of spyware in her government since revelations emerged in January that a handful of Italian activists and journalists had received warnings from WhatsApp, the messaging app owned by Meta, that their phones had been targeted by spyware. Meloni's government has been heavily criticised after authorities in Italy released a Libyan citizen wanted by the ICC for war crimes who had been arrested in Rome. Osama Najim, who is known as Almasri, is the director of a detention centre in Mitiga in Tripoli, which has been condemned by human rights organisations for its arbitrary detention, torture and abuse of political dissidents, migrants and refugees. The Citizen Lab report has confirmed that several activists and associates of Yambio, including two personal friends of Pope Francis, were targeted by hacking software that is supposed to be used against targets in terrorism investigations and other serious crime. Researchers have not yet been able to determine the exact kind of spyware used against Yambio, but are continuing their investigation. But they were able to confirm that the hacking software used against other activists was made by Paragon Solutions, an Israeli surveillance technology company that is now owned by a US financial investor. The researchers included Luca Casarini and Giuseppe Caccia, the two founders of an NGO that tries to protect migrants who are crossing the Mediterranean. The researchers said: 'We forensically analysed multiple Android phones belonging to Paragon targets in Italy [an acknowledged Paragon user] who were notified by WhatsApp. We found clear indications that spyware had been loaded into WhatsApp, as well as other apps on their devices.' The Italian government has acknowledged it was a client of Paragon but has denied it was behind a spate of surveillance attacks against a journalist and several activists. Paragon has since suspended its contract with Italy because, according to a a person close to the matter, of a failure to abide by Paragon rules that forbid spyware to be used against journalists or other members of civil society. WhatsApp first revealed in January that 90 of its users, including civil society members and journalists, had been the target of government clients of Paragon. When it is successfully deployed, Paragon's spyware, which is called Graphite, can hack into any phone and access a user's messages and listen to mobile phone conversations, including those held over encrypted apps such as WhatsApp or Signal. Yambio was first notified by Apple of a possible attack in November and his mobile phone was subsequently examined by experts at Cyber Hub-AM and The Citizen Lab. Forensic details of the researchers' investigation was then shared for further analysis with Apple, which said in a statement that attacks like the one used against Yambio were 'extremely sophisticated, cost millions of dollars to develop … and are used to target specific individuals because of who they are or what they do'. Apple also confirmed it had developed and deployed 'a fix' to the security flaw that had been exploited to attack Yambio, and that the fix was released in its iOS 18 to protect iPhone users. The Citizen Lab researchers said its investigation found a number of other countries appeared to be clients of Paragon, including: Australia, Canada, Denmark, Cyprus, Singapore and Israel. No other details about the alleged relationship of those countries with Paragon were revealed in the report. John Scott-Railton, a senior Citzen Lab researcher, said the emergence of fresh information about Paragon clients ought to raise questions about who is running the deployment of spyware, what is being done with information that is gathered, and whether the use of the spyware is aligned with domestic laws. John Fleming, the executive chair of Paragon US, said in a statement: 'Paragon has been contacted by Citizen Lab and provided with a very limited amount of information, some of which appears to be inaccurate. Given the limited nature of the information provided, we are unable to offer a comment at this time.' The company, which has previously agreed a contract with US immigration authorities, also said it requires all users to adhere to terms and conditions that 'preclude the illicit targeting of journalists and other civil society leaders'. Fleming said: 'While we are not able to discuss individual customers, we have a zero-tolerance policy for violations of our terms of service.' Hannah Neumann, an MEP who investigated the abuse of spyware inside the EU, said in a statement that spyware abuse continues in Europe, and follows a similar pattern. She said: 'We have seen this pattern before – denial, deflection, and ultimately, no justice for the victims. It is Groundhog Day for spyware abuse, and unless we fix the loopholes in regulation and strengthen victim protection, these violations will continue unchecked. We need strong European rules and accountability measures to stop this cycle once and for all.'
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
Campaigner for migrants in Libya says his phone was targeted in spyware attack
An Italy-based human rights activist whose work supports the international criminal court in providing evidence about cases of abuse suffered by migrants and refugees held in Libyan detention camps and prisons has revealed that Apple informed him his phone was targeted in a spyware attack David Yambio, the president and co-founder of Refugees in Libya, has been a critic of the Italian government's migrant pact with the north African country and its recent controversial decision to release Osama Najim, a Libyan police chief wanted by the international criminal court (ICC) for suspected war crimes, including torture, murder, enslavement and rape. Yambio, 27, was an alleged victim of Najim's abuses during his detention at the notorious Mitiga prison near Tripoli. Related: 'Why did we give back this alleged criminal?' Pressure grows on Meloni after Italy releases wanted Libyan police chief Yambio's case followed revelations that an Italian investigative journalist and two activists critical of Italy's dealings with Libya were among 90 people who received notifications from WhatsApp in late January alleging they had been targeted with spyware. WhatsApp has said the spyware used in that breach – which affected journalists and activists and others in two dozen countries – was made by Paragon Solutions, an Israel-based company that makes cyberweapons. The Guardian reported last week that Paragon terminated its client relationship with Italy for breaking the terms of its contract, citing a person familiar with the matter. Yambio received an email from Apple on 13 November seen by the Guardian, informing him he was being targeted by 'a mercenary spyware attack' that was attempting to 'remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple account'. The message said the attack 'is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do'. It did not specify what kind of spyware was being used against him, and Yambio was not one of the 90 people who received a WhatsApp notification. Yambio said he contacted a digital security expert at CyberHub-AM in Armenia, who in turn connected him with the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, which tracks digital threats against civil society and assisted WhatsApp in tracking hacking attempts made against the 90 people, allegedly using the spyware produced by Paragon. Seven of the alleged targets live in Italy. In a statement, Citizen Lab said it was continuing to investigate Yambio's case. Any evidence that Yambio was targeted by spyware could have political reverberations for whoever was behind the alleged attack. The Rome statute, which established the ICC, is mandated to protect the safety and wellbeing of any witnesses and has the power to prosecute offences that obstruct witnesses. 'I already had suspicions in September when my phone started to behave strangely,' he told the Guardian. 'For examples, calls would just hang up, the phone would get warm or the battery would run out really quickly.' Spyware made by companies such as Paragon and NSO Group generally have access to multiple so-called vectors, or vulnerabilities that enable the spyware they make to infect a mobile phone. WhatsApp has previously been vulnerable to spyware made by both Paragon and NSO Group, but individuals can also be infected via SMS messages or other apps. Paragon has not commented on the cases that have emerged in Italy but has said it has 'zero tolerance' for clients that violate its terms of service, which includes prohibitions on targeting journalists and activists. The office of the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, last week denied that domestic intelligence services or the government were behind the alleged Paragon breaches and has not responded to the claims that Paragon cancelled its contract with Italy. Yambio has described the Italy-Libya migrant pact, which involves Italy funding the Libyan coastguard to capture people in the Mediterranean and bring them back to the north African country, as 'a death sentence'. 'For three months, my life has been lived under constant threat: I do not know where it's coming from, which government [is involved]. I live in Italy, I don't live in any other country. So who should I hold accountable?' He added: 'The people who have so far come out in public are in Italy, and [some] of these people are in my close circle. We are people working to stop human suffering, to try to make a change, and yet we are being targeted. I am very afraid because the information concerns not only me but the life of people who [have been victims of abuse in Libya] and also the life of my partner and my child.' Yambio is attending a press conference in the European parliament on Tuesday afternoon about the case involving Najim, also called Almasri, which has roiled Italian politics in recent weeks. The ICC said on Monday that it had officially asked Italy to explain why the country released Najim after his arrest in Turin instead of extraditing him to the Netherlands, where court is based. Najim was repatriated to Tripoli onboard an Italian military aircraft. Meloni, who is being investigated over the matter by prosecutors in Rome, said Najim was immediately repatriated because he posed a risk to national security. 'We have not received any statement from the EU, from the European Commission, the European parliament or any member state on this case of an internationally wanted criminal who was smuggled away from justice,' said Yambio. Yambio, from South Sudan, received asylum in Italy in 2022 after escaping from Mitiga prison, a facility under Najim's watch and condemned by human rights organisations for its arbitrary detention, torture and abuse of political dissidents, migrants and refugees. He later crossed the Mediterranean by boat. The pact between Italy and Libya, first signed in 2017 and renewed since, has long been condemned by humanitarian groups for pushing people back to detention camps where they face torture and other abuses.
The Guardian
11-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Campaigner for migrants in Libya says his phone was targeted in spyware attack
An Italy-based human rights activist whose work supports the international criminal court in providing evidence about cases of abuse suffered by migrants and refugees held in Libyan detention camps and prisons has revealed that Apple informed him his phone was targeted in a spyware attack David Yambio, the president and co-founder of Refugees in Libya, has been a critic of the Italian government's migrant pact with the north African country and its recent controversial decision to release Osama Najim, a Libyan police chief wanted by the international criminal court (ICC) for suspected war crimes, including torture, murder, enslavement and rape. Yambio, 27, was an alleged victim of Najim's abuses during his detention at the notorious Mitiga prison near Tripoli. Yambio's case followed revelations that an Italian investigative journalist and two activists critical of Italy's dealings with Libya were among 90 people who received notifications from WhatsApp in late January alleging they had been targeted with spyware. WhatsApp has said the spyware used in that breach – which affected journalists and activists and others in two dozen countries – was made by Paragon Solutions, an Israel-based company that makes cyberweapons. The Guardian reported last week that Paragon terminated its client relationship with Italy for breaking the terms of its contract, citing a person familiar with the matter. Yambio received an email from Apple on 13 November seen by the Guardian, informing him he was being targeted by 'a mercenary spyware attack' that was attempting to 'remotely compromise the iPhone associated with your Apple account'. The message said the attack 'is likely targeting you specifically because of who you are or what you do'. It did not specify what kind of spyware was being used against him, and Yambio was not one of the 90 people who received a WhatsApp notification. Yambio said he contacted a digital security expert at CyberHub-AM in Armenia, who in turn connected him with the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, which tracks digital threats against civil society and assisted WhatsApp in tracking hacking attempts made against the 90 people, allegedly using the spyware produced by Paragon. Seven of the alleged targets live in Italy. In a statement, Citizen Lab said it was continuing to investigate Yambio's case. Any evidence that Yambio was targeted by spyware could have political reverberations for whoever was behind the alleged attack. The Rome statute, which established the ICC, is mandated to protect the safety and wellbeing of any witnesses and has the power to prosecute offences that obstruct witnesses. 'I already had suspicions in September when my phone started to behave strangely,' he told the Guardian. 'For examples, calls would just hang up, the phone would get warm or the battery would run out really quickly.' Spyware made by companies such as Paragon and NSO Group generally have access to multiple so-called vectors, or vulnerabilities that enable the spyware they make to infect a mobile phone. WhatsApp has previously been vulnerable to spyware made by both Paragon and NSO Group, but individuals can also be infected via SMS messages or other apps. Paragon has not commented on the cases that have emerged in Italy but has said it has 'zero tolerance' for clients that violate its terms of service, which includes prohibitions on targeting journalists and activists. The office of the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, last week denied that domestic intelligence services or the government were behind the alleged Paragon breaches and has not responded to the claims that Paragon cancelled its contract with Italy. Yambio has described the Italy-Libya migrant pact, which involves Italy funding the Libyan coastguard to capture people in the Mediterranean and bring them back to the north African country, as 'a death sentence'. 'For three months, my life has been lived under constant threat: I do not know where it's coming from, which government [is involved]. I live in Italy, I don't live in any other country. So who should I hold accountable?' He added: 'The people who have so far come out in public are in Italy, and [some] of these people are in my close circle. We are people working to stop human suffering, to try to make a change, and yet we are being targeted. I am very afraid because the information concerns not only me but the life of people who [have been victims of abuse in Libya] and also the life of my partner and my child.' Yambio is attending a press conference in the European parliament on Tuesday afternoon about the case involving Najim, also called Almasri, which has roiled Italian politics in recent weeks. The ICC said on Monday that it had officially asked Italy to explain why the country released Najim after his arrest in Turin instead of extraditing him to the Netherlands, where court is based. Najim was repatriated to Tripoli onboard an Italian military aircraft. Meloni, who is being investigated over the matter by prosecutors in Rome, said Najim was immediately repatriated because he posed a risk to national security. 'We have not received any statement from the EU, from the European Commission, the European parliament or any member state on this case of an internationally wanted criminal who was smuggled away from justice,' said Yambio. Yambio, from South Sudan, received asylum in Italy in 2022 after escaping from Mitiga prison, a facility under Najim's watch and condemned by human rights organisations for its arbitrary detention, torture and abuse of political dissidents, migrants and refugees. He later crossed the Mediterranean by boat. The pact between Italy and Libya, first signed in 2017 and renewed since, has long been condemned by humanitarian groups for pushing people back to detention camps where they face torture and other abuses.
