For information only - not an official document

UNIS/CP/1014
21 November 2017

Statement of Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime Yury Fedotov on the news of slave markets operating in Libya

VIENNA, 21 November 2017 (UN Information Service) - I am outraged and appalled at the news that slave markets are operating in Libya. The images of young men being sold like commodities are not just shocking, they are deeply shaming in the early 21st Century. They demand an immediate response.

I join UN Secretary-General António Guterres in condemning these atrocious acts and I take note of the statement from the Libyan Government that this case will be investigated.

UNODC stands ready to work closely with the Libyan authorities to strengthen the capacities of law enforcement bodies to prosecute those involved, and to help align the domestic legislation of countries in the region to the UN Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime, and its protocols on trafficking in persons and migrant smuggling.

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For further information contact:

David Dadge
Spokesperson, UNODC
Phone: (+43 1) 26060-5629
Mobile: (+43-699) 1459-5629
Email: david.dadge[at]unvienna.org