“The sea is a gigantic cemetery. Italy is Libya’s accomplice.” This chilling accusation echoed through Rome’s Piazza Vidoni on Saturday, as NGOs, refugees, and human rights groups rallied to demand an end to the Italy-Libya memorandum.
Acccording to a statement shared by Refugees in Libya, survivors of Libyan detention centers stood alongside activists, sharing harrowing testimonies of torture, extortion, and violence, and calling on the Italian government to halt its controversial migration agreement with Libya.
The demonstration, October 18, 2025took place just days after Italy’s Chamber of Deputies renewed the 2017 memorandum for another three years. The agreement, originally signed under Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni and then-Interior Minister Marco Minniti, aims to curb irregular migration by empowering the Libyan coast guard to intercept boats and return migrants to Libya—a policy that human rights organizations say enables systematic abuse.
Firsthand Accounts of Abuse
At a press conference hosted by Spin Time, survivors recounted the horrors they endured in Libyan detention centers. Rashed, a Sudanese refugee who was just 17 when captured at sea, described being detained, tortured, and forced to witness executions. “They gave us little water, little food. The militia shot people before our eyes, telling us that would be our end if we didn’t pay the ransom,” he recalled. “I escaped several times before finally reaching safety.”
Another survivor, speaking anonymously, detailed the extortion and violence inside the notorious Tajura concentration camp: “If you’re Sudanese, the ransom is $3,000; if you’re Eritrean, $5,000. We saw women raped, and when I got sick, they threw me out rather than treat me. I tried to escape nine times.”
Activist David Yambio, himself a survivor and co-founder of Refugees in Libya, emphasized that those intercepted at sea are returned to the same cycle of abuse in Libyan prisons. “I’ve experienced this firsthand. The coast guard doesn’t rescue—they return people to torture.”
A Controversial Agreement
Despite mounting evidence of abuse, Italy’s right-wing majority argues that the memorandum is essential to fight traffickers and prevent dangerous crossings. In parliament, the agreement’s renewal passed with 153 votes in favor, 112 against, and 9 abstentions. Yet NGOs contend that Italy, by supporting the Libyan coast guard, is complicit in human rights violations. Recent incidents—including Libyan patrol boats firing on rescue vessels like the Ocean Viking—have heightened scrutiny.
According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), more than 28,000 migrants have died crossing the Mediterranean in the past decade. Hassan Nugud, of the migrant association Welcome United, declared, “With this memorandum, the sea has become a gigantic cemetery. Italy is complicit in crimes against humanity. And with new detention centers in Albania, Europe continues to make life harder for migrants.”
Protest banners and life jackets in the square made the activists’ message unmistakable. As one survivor, Lam, put it: “Libya is not a safe place for migrants. We’re just people looking for a second chance at life.”
The protestors’ call was clear: end the memorandum, stop deaths at sea, and uphold human rights for all.
