Allison West
@allisonrwest.bsky.social
Senior Legal Advisor @ecchr.bsky.social | Int'l law & human rights politics & praxis, detention & NAWA (MENA), freedom dreams
"Could migrant deaths in the Mediterranean Sea be prosecuted as crimes against humanity?" asks @inthesetimes.com. Indeed, pushbacks at sea to Libya mark the beginning of "the severe deprivation of liberty as a crime against humanity", as ECCHR's @allisonrwest.bsky.social explains.
Found, But Not Rescued
Could migrant deaths in the Mediterranean Sea be prosecuted as crimes against humanity?
inthesetimes.com
The fight against impunity cannot be abandoned when it becomes politically difficult. Victims and survivors deserve justice, and no state - no matter how powerful - should be allowed to place itself above the law. That is why we have joined the call to defend and protect the #ICC.
Coalition for the International Criminal Court@coalitionfortheicc.org · 2mo ago❗❗ +130 civil society organisations from 56 countries call on ICC States Parties to mount a collective response to halt withdrawals from the Rome Statute and counter the new US campaign against the International Criminal Court. 📌 Full statement: coalitionfortheicc.org/news/rome-st...
BREAKING 🚨The International Criminal Court (ICC) confirms ALL charges against #ElHishri and sends the case to trial! This marks a historic breakthrough for survivors of crimes committed at Mitiga Prison which must open the way to wider accountability in Libya. www.ecchr.eu/en/press-rel...
Until now: Crew & survivors sheltered inside. Libyan militia threats have paused, but their ships keep closing in and disappearing again. We're heading north. We are NOT safe yet.
Sea-Watch (international)@en.sea-watch.org · 5mo ago🔴 SHOTS FIRED Our Sea-Watch 5 is being shot at by the EU-funded so-called Libyan coastguard. Our crew just finished rescuing 90 people, but Libyan militias are still following us. They expressed the intent to abduct us to Libya!
🔴 SHOTS FIRED Our Sea-Watch 5 is being shot at by the EU-funded so-called Libyan coastguard. Our crew just finished rescuing 90 people, but Libyan militias are still following us. They expressed the intent to abduct us to Libya!
We’re in the final 2 days of our fundraiser. Help us reach £15,000 by 15 April and unlock a matched donation that will double it to £30,000, doubling the impact of every contribution. Every donation makes a difference, no matter how small! Donate today www.justgiving.com/page/lfjl15?...
„No one should be punished for seeking protection“ writes @amnesty.org Seven years ago, right now, the oil tanker #ElHiblu1 was underway to #Malta. On board, 100 survivors who had escaped from Libya on a rubber boat the night before. Today, three of those - the #ElHiblu3 - still face charges.
Malta: Seven years of injustice. Drop the charges against the El Hiblu 3
28 March marks seven years since Amara Krumak, Abdalla Bari and Kone Tiemoko Abdul Kader were arrested in Malta for opposing their forced return to Libya.
amnesty.org
Fifteen years since the 17 February uprising. Fifteen years of Lawyers for Justice in #Libya (#LFJL). While the path to transition remains blocked by political fragmentation and impunity, one thing is clear: Libya’s #civil_society isn’t backing down.
"We are Europe's guardians", Haftar's head of countermigration tells @nissssim.bsky.social @lemonde.fr.
Dans la Libye du maréchal Haftar, les migrants pris au piège
Les arrivées en Crète depuis l’est de la Libye ont quadruplé en 2025, poussant les Européens à se rapprocher des autorités de Benghazi pour contrôler les frontières, après un accord avec leurs rivales...
lemonde.fr
#Libya - On February 3 Saif al Islam Gaddafi was murdered in Libya. His continued freedom in Libya epitomised the powerlessness of the #InternationalCriminalCourt (ICC). And his death burries the last hopes that it would bring justice for the crimes of 2011. www.justiceinfo.net/en/155092-ga...
Gaddafi’s death, the last nail in an ICC coffin
On February 3 Saif al Islam Gaddafi was murdered in Libya. His continued freedom in Libya epitomised the powerlessness of the International Criminal Court. And his death burries the last hopes that it...
justiceinfo.net
Rare for me to publish reflection pieces like this - but this one may resonate with those who’ve followed the arc of Seif al-Islam Gaddafi’s journey, and are grappling with the tangle of his legacy in Libya’s politics - & the tragedy of his killing. emadbadi.com/seif-al-isla...
Seif al-Islam Gaddafi - Between Martyrdom and Myth - Emadeddin Badi
Seif al-Islam Gaddafi’s killing has already been packaged as a national turning point: the removal of a “third option” for Libya, and to some, the end of a supposed last bridge out of Libya’s stagnati...
emadbadi.com
Yes, last week’s conviction of Walid Negash in a Dutch court was a meaningful step toward justice for survivors of human trafficking. But it was a partial one, a missed chance to confront the broader detention industry built on systematic abuse across Libya and the Central Mediterranean. Here’s why:
PRESS RELEASE: Dutch court’s conviction of Walid in the ‘Pearce’ Case: a first step towards justice for crimes against migrants and refugees in Libya - Lawyers for Justice in Libya
libyanjustice.org
Italy’s decision to return ICC suspect Almasri Najim to Libya, and the Court’s muted response, undermines international justice and harms victims of crimes against humanity, most of them refugees and migrants. Such disregard for international law must have consequences, says ECCHR's Allison West.
Libya, Italy and the ICC: a long history of discord
Last year, Italy failed to transfer a Libyan alleged war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court. What were the consequences?
justiceinfo.net
On 1 December, German authorities surrendered Khaled Mohamed Ali El Hishri to the International Criminal Court (ICC). His transfer marks the first time a wanted suspect has been brought before the Court since the investigation in the Libya Situation was opened in 2011. www.ecchr.eu/en/press-rel...
Lawyers for Justice in Libya@libyanjustice.bsky.social · 10mo agoKhaled El #Hishri’s first appearance before the #ICC in The Hague is happening now. Watch it live here: www.youtube.com/live/XqbBVjO...
Member countries of the ICC should intensify efforts to protect the court and human rights groups campaigning for justice from attack. HRW's 20-page report makes detailed recommendations for the annual session of the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties www.hrw.org/news/2025/12...
International Criminal Court: Justice at Risk
Member countries of the International Criminal Court (ICC) should intensify efforts to protect the court and human rights groups campaigning for justice from attack.
hrw.org
Almasri’s detention in Tripoli is a welcome step, but accountability depends on what comes next. Libya’s GNU must now fulfill its ICC obligations, under UN Security Council Res. 1970 & its own Art. 12(3) declaration of ICC jurisdiction, by surrendering him & all others wanted by the ICC to The Hague
Libyan general accused of crimes against humanity arrested in Tripoli
Osama Almasri Najim was arrested in Italy in January on an ICC warrant, only to be released and flown back to Libya
theguardian.com
In Brussels today, I was honored to support the Justice Fleet’s stand for international law in the Central Med— part of the broader struggle for justice alongside people on the move facing crimes against humanity in Libya & at sea, enabled & sustained by European policies & cooperation with Libyans👇
ECCHR - European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights@ecchr.bsky.social · 11mo agoAfter years of escalating human rights violations by the so-called Libyan Coast Guard, 13 search and rescue organizations are founding the #JusticeFleet and suspending the operational communication with the Libyan Rescue Coordination Centre 👉 www.ecchr.eu/en/press-rel... @allisonrwest.bsky.social
"Europa beteiligt sich in Libyen seit Jahren an Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit, ohne für seine Mittäterschaft zur Rechenschaft gezogen zu werden." Ein Gastbeitrag von ECCHRs @allisonrwest.bsky.social und Sigrun Matthiesen über die völkerrechtlichen Konsequenzen Abschottungspolitik Europas.
Verbrecherische Komplizen: Libyen und die EU
Es war ein Tiefpunkt in der Geschichte der Seenotrettung: 20 Minuten lang beschoss am 24. August ein Patrouillenboot der libyschen Küstenwache die Ocean Viking, ein Rettungsschiff der Seenotrettungsor...
blaetter.de
Crimes against Humanity need to be investigated by the ICC, not funded by EU-money. This is the essence of a letter from 38 EU-MEPs to the Commission. They demand to “immediately halt all forms of support — financial, technical, or operational — to the LCG, the DCIM and any other Libyan entity.”
Deutsches & Italienisches Parlament verlängern Abkommen mit Libyschen Staatsmilizen. EU-Regierungen sind Komplizen bei Verbrechen gegen die Menschlichkeit auf dem Mittelmeer und in Libyschen Haftlagern. Wir unterstützen die Proteste in Rom mit @refugeesinlibya.bsky.social taz.de/Fluechtlings...
Flüchtlingsabwehr im Mittelmeer: Weiter mit den libyschen Folterern
Trotz anhaltender Menschenrechtsverletzungen: Deutschland und Italien entscheiden sich für weitere Kooperation mit Libyens Küstenwache.
taz.de
On Monday, I had the pleasure to moderate a powerful panel with @allisonrwest.bsky.social/ @ecchr.bsky.social, David Yambio/ @refugeesinlibya.bsky.social & Phoebe Walton/Forensis at the 5th “Understanding Prison” session by MENA Prison Forum—this time on Libya’s prison industry & EU complicity.1/6
Join us on Monday, 6 October in Berlin for a film screening and talk about Libya’s Detention Industry & Italy’s Complicity👇 @refugeesinlibya.bsky.social @de-criminalize.bsky.social @medico2.bsky.social @forensicarchi.bsky.social @libyanjustice.bsky.social
ECCHR - European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights@ecchr.bsky.social · last yr.Save the date: 6 Oct - MENA Prison Forum in Berlin #5 Libya The Berlin premiere of the documentary „Escaping Libya’s Detention Industry“ will be followed by a discussion on international crimes committed against migrants and refugees in Libya and the Mediterranean. www.ecchr.eu/en/event/men...
I’m deeply disappointed that there’s no outrage or news coverage about the violent xenophobic attacks happening in Libya. Black African “migrants” are being looted and beaten to death, with many being driven out of sight and into concentration camps for extortion.
Join us? 💥Workshops w/ @papertrailmedia.de @amnesty.de @interseclab.bsky.social 💥Dig. Security Clinic w/ @accessnow.org, @pressefreiheit.bsky.social&Tact. Tech 💥Panel w/ @donncha.is @sophieintveld.bsky.social @davidyambio.bsky.social @anjaosterhaus.bsky.social &Art by @forensicarchi.bsky.social
#ECREWeekly updates on EU MARITIME BORDERS: ▪️ Tragedies in Med ▪️ Footage of Libyan militiamen in people smuggling ▪️ Spanish Navy chief issues stark reminder about the Law of the Sea ▪️ Fatal accident in the Aegean ▪️ French police accused of causing deaths in Indian Ocean 🔗 shorturl.at/UsD4A
Join us on Monday, 6 October in Berlin for a film screening and talk about Libya’s Detention Industry & Italy’s Complicity👇 @refugeesinlibya.bsky.social @de-criminalize.bsky.social @medico2.bsky.social @forensicarchi.bsky.social @libyanjustice.bsky.social
ECCHR - European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights@ecchr.bsky.social · last yr.Save the date: 6 Oct - MENA Prison Forum in Berlin #5 Libya The Berlin premiere of the documentary „Escaping Libya’s Detention Industry“ will be followed by a discussion on international crimes committed against migrants and refugees in Libya and the Mediterranean. www.ecchr.eu/en/event/men...
Our #DiaryFromTheSea series closes with reflections - shifting from sea to land, lessons carried forward, and a mission that continues. The diaries end here, but the work to protect the dignity & human rights at sea goes on. #LFJL #SOSHumanity #Libya @sos-humanity.bsky.social
