Italy Urged to End Its Complicity in Libya’s Abusive Migration Policies

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has called on Italy to revoke its controversial migration cooperation agreement with Libya, warning that the pact has perpetuated grave human rights abuses against migrants and asylum seekers. The Italy-Libya Memorandum of Understanding—first signed in 2017 and set to renew automatically for another three years on November 2, 2025, unless either party withdraws—has drawn fierce criticism for enabling systematic mistreatment of migrants intercepted at sea.

A Policy Rooted in Externalization

The agreement, designed to curb irregular migration across the central Mediterranean, provides Libya’s Coast Guard with Italian-funded vessels, equipment, and training. The Libyan Coast Guard operates under the Government of National Unity (GNU)—one of two rival authorities vying for legitimacy in Libya. Over the past eight years, this cooperation has led to tens of thousands of people being intercepted and returned to Libya, where they face detention in brutal, lawless conditions.

Human Rights Watch and numerous other watchdogs have documented routine torture, sexual violence, forced labor, and arbitrary detention within Libyan detention centers run by militias and state-linked armed groups. These facilities are infamous for overcrowding, lack of food and medical care, and systematic abuse of detainees.

HRW: “A Framework for Violence and Suffering”

Judith Sunderland, HRW’s Associate Director for Europe and Central Asia, described the memorandum as “a framework for violence and suffering.” She urged Rome to end its “complicity” in the atrocities committed by the Libyan Coast Guard, asserting that Italy’s continued involvement amounts to legitimizing systemic abuse. “Italy needs to stop its complicity with the Libyan Coast Guard, who are implicated in the torture, exploitation, and degrading treatment of the people they interdict and bring back to Libya,” Sunderland said.

EU’s Deep Involvement and Controversial Support

The European Union has invested hundreds of millions of euros since 2015 to strengthen Libya’s border control operations, primarily through Frontex, the EU’s border and coast guard agency. Despite extensive documentation of human rights abuses, EU member states—including Italy—continue to supply vessels and intelligence to Libyan forces to facilitate migrant interceptions. Frontex’s aerial surveillance routinely alerts the Libyan Coast Guard to migrant boats, resulting in forced returns to detention centers rather than rescues.

On August 24, 2025, a Libyan patrol boat—donated by Italy—opened fire on the Ocean Viking, a rescue ship operated by SOS MEDITERRANEE, causing significant damage. Barely a month later, another Libyan vessel attacked a Sea-Watch ship. Despite these dangerous confrontations, the European Commission maintains its engagement, claiming it is necessary “to improve the situation.”

Civil Society Calls for Action

Grassroots and survivor-led movements, such as Refugees in Libya, are intensifying their campaigns to dismantle the agreement. They argue that both Italy and the EU are violating international maritime and refugee law, which prohibits returning people to territories where they face serious harm.

HRW and other organizations have demanded that the EU suspend all migration cooperation with Libya, emphasizing the need for a humanitarian alternative—one that prioritizes rescue at sea, safe migration pathways, and accountability for crimes against migrants.

Libya’s Human Rights Record Under Scrutiny

Both of Libya’s rival authorities—the GNU in Tripoli and the Libyan Arab Armed Forces (LAAF) led by Khalifa Haftar in the east—have been implicated in crimes against migrants. The United Nations has found evidence of collusion between state forces and smuggling networks, and concluded that these groups likely committed crimes against humanity, including sexual slavery and rape.

Despite this, officials from both factions were invited to visit Frontex headquarters in Warsaw and the European Commission in Brussels in mid-October 2025. HRW insists such engagement should not normalize cooperation with forces accused of grave abuses but should instead be used to press for accountability and human rights reforms.

A Moral and Legal Imperative

Human Rights Watch contends that the continuation of the Italy-Libya memorandum is morally indefensible and legally questionable, given the documented violations of international law. Italy, as a signatory to multiple human rights conventions, bears responsibility for ensuring that its migration policies do not contribute to inhuman treatment or unlawful detention.

Sunderland concluded, “The EU and all of its member states, including Italy, should stop financing and legitimizing violence against migrants and fundamentally reorient their Mediterranean policies to prioritize humanity over deterrence.”

The Path Forward

As the November 2025 renewal date approaches, the Italian government faces mounting domestic and international pressure to withdraw from the agreement. Ending the memorandum could signal a turning point in European migration policy, shifting focus from border militarization to protection, rescue, and safe mobility. Failure to act, however, would mean another three years of complicity in one of the most egregious human rights crises along Europe’s borders.