EU calls for protection of rights of migrants

BRUSSELS, Dec 18 (KUNA) -- The EU stressed Monday that protecting and upholding the fundamental rights and freedoms of all migrants, regardless of their status, has always been and will always a priority for the European bloc.
"This is at the heart of our European Agenda on Migration. We are working relentlessly, inside and outside the European Union, in close cooperation with our Member States and our international partners to save lives, provide protection," said European Commission Vice-President Frans Timmermans and EU High Representative Federica Mogherini, in a joint statement to mark International Migrants Day today.
The EU called for tackling the root causes that force people to leave their homes in first place, as well as fight the criminal networks that often take advantage of people's despair.
Meanwhile, the human rights organisation Amnesty International in a report last week said European governments are knowingly complicit in the torture and abuse of tens of thousands of refugees and migrants detained by Libyan immigration authorities.
The report titled "Libya's dark web of collusion" details how European governments are actively supporting a sophisticated system of abuse and exploitation of refugees and migrants by the Libyan Coast Guard, detention authorities and smugglers in order to prevent people from crossing the Mediterranean to Europe. (end) nk.mt