Amnesty urges EU to step up efforts to save migrants' lives in the Mediterranean'

BRUSSELS, June 20 (KUNA) -- The human rights organization Amnesty International appealed to EU leaders on Tuesday to step up efforts to save lives in the Mediterranean, and stop returning migrants to Libya , before more migrants drown as crossings increase during the summer months.
The appeal was made ahead of the summit meeting of EU leaders in Brussels on Thursday and Friday in which migration is one of the topics on the agenda.
"The EU is allowing the Libyan coastguard to return refugees and migrants to a country where unlawful detention, torture and rape are the norm. They are increasing the capacity of the Libyan coastguard while turning a blind eye to the inherent, grave, risks of such cooperation," said Director of the Amnesty International, European Institutions Office, Iverna McGowan, in a statement.
She urged the EU leaders to stop giving border control and asylum processing to foreign governments, including some with appalling human rights records saying that "encouraging those governments to step up border control risks exposing more and more people to abuse." (end) nk.msa