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STORY: GENEVA / LIBYA
TRT: 02:34
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 04 SEPTEMBER 2018, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
04 SEPTEMBER 2018, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, Palais des Nations exterior
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Liz Throssell, Spokesperson, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“The parties to the conflict have been firing indiscriminately and using weapons with wide area-effect, including rockets, tank shells and artillery in densely populated residential areas.”
4. Med shot, journalists
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Liz Throssell, Spokesperson, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“Some of the nearly 8,000 arbitrarily detent migrants are trapped in detention centres in areas where fighting has been taking place without access to food or medical treatment. Some of the migrants have being released from official detention centres but they are reported to be subsequently taken into captivity by armed group and are being forced to work for them.”
6. Med shot, journalists
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Charlie Yaxley, Spokesperson, United Nations High Comissioner for Refugees (UNHCR):
“In light of the ongoing crashes in Libya's capital, UNHCR, the UN Refugee agency, is today appealing to parties to the fighting to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure and to allow safe passage for those seeking refuge in safe areas.”
8. Med shot, journalists
9. SOUNDBITE (English) Charlie Yaxley, Spokesperson, United Nations High Comissioner for Refugees (UNHCR):
“The current security situation in Libya's capital remains volatile and unpredictable and is restricting humanitarian access for humanitarian agencies both to displace Libyans and to refugees affected by the clashes.”
10. Med shot, journalist
11. SOUNDBITE (English) Charlie Yaxley, Spokesperson, United Nations High Comissioner for Refugees (UNHCR):
“We are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the Libyan Director of Combating Illegal Migration and also with UN in agencies, and we advocating for all refugees and migrants to be relocated to a safer place.”
12. Med shot, journalists
13. SOUNDBITE (English) Filiz Demir, Spokesperson, International Organisation of Migration (IOM):
“We've been responding to both in and outside of the detention with provision of food and non-food items and working with Consular officials to place them in a safe accommodation; those who have been released on the street.”
14. Med shot, journalists
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Filiz Demir, Spokesperson, International Organisation of Migration (IOM):
“With the violence present, we've had reports that additional detention centres might need to be cleared or might need to be emptied both through the release of migrants and refugees and to transfer to other detention centres. We know of at least three that might be impacted by violence soon.”
16. Med shot, journalist
17. Close up, journalist typing on a laptop
18. Med shot, journalist
UN humanitarian agencies today expressed concern about the continued escalation of violence in and around Libya’s capital Tripoli, following clashes which erupted early last week.
Speaking to reporters in Geneva today (04 Sep), Liz Throssell, Spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office (OHCHR), said the parties to the conflict have been “firing indiscriminately and using weapons with wide area effect, including rockets, tank shells and artillery in densely populated residential areas.”
Clashes between government forces and armed militias, which began on 27 August, reportedly killed more than 40 people and injured more than one hundred.
OHCHR said it was disturbed by the impact of the conflict on migrants and internally displaced people in Libya.
SOUNDBITE (English) Liz Throssell, Spokesperson, Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR):
“Some of the nearly 8,000 arbitrarily detent migrants are trapped in detention centres in areas where fighting has been taking place without access to food or medical treatment. Some of the migrants have being released from official detention centres but they are reported to be subsequently taken into captivity by armed group and are being forced to work for them.”
UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) spokesperson Charlie Yaxley said his agency was “appealing to parties to the fighting to spare civilians and civilian infrastructure and to allow safe passage for those seeking refuge in safe areas.”
Yaxley said the current security situation in Libya's capital remains “volatile and unpredictable and is restricting humanitarian access for humanitarian agencies both to displace Libyans and to refugees affected by the clashes.”
On Sunday, UNHCR coordinated with the Libyan Ministry of Interior and the World Food Program (WFP) the delivery of food for a week to the Triq Al Matar and Qaser Ben Ghasheer government detention centres where 2,450 refugees and migrants are being detained. A planned distribution to assist detainees at the Abu Salim detention centre, where 450 people are being held, was cancelled because of worsening clashes in the area.
Yaxley said UNHCR was closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with the Libyan Director of Combating Illegal Migration and UN agencies, and is advocating for “all refugees and migrants to be relocated to a safer place.”
The International Organisation of Migration (IOM) said it was responding both in and outside of detention centres by providing food and non-food items and working with consular officials to place migrants “in a safe accommodation.”
IOM spokesperson Filiz Demir said, “With the violence present, we've had reports that additional detention centres might need to be cleared or might need to be emptied both through the release of migrants and refugees and to transfer to other detention centres. We know of at least three that might be impacted by violence soon.”
